Yes, great game and certainly a finish that will find its place in NCAA lore.
However, given that they were two equally matched teams, I would still lean towards the 1983 Wolfpack/Houston final as the best NCAA final's finish ever. What North Carolina State was even doing in the finals was quite remarkable. They were such an afterthought when the tournament began (they had to win the ACC Championship just to qualify) and then had to beat Ralph Sampson (a 2 time Wooden Award winner) in the Regional Finals....and Houston was clearly the best team in the country with two future NBA Hall of Famers on their roster (Clyde/Olajuwon). Houston blitzed them to start the second half and yet the Wolfpack never folded. How they even hung around for 40 minutes to be in position to win the game was a miracle. After Lorenzo Charles game winning dunk at the buzzer, I can still picture Jimmy V running around like a lunatic looking for someone to hug. I am not sure, given the disparity of talent between the two teams, the incredible finish, and the image of the crazed Valvano after the shot went in (as opposed to the cool demeanor of Jay Wright) that the 1983 final will ever be topped. -- Modified on 4/5/2016 10:34:02 AM
My "best finish ever" statement was in relation to the monumental 3-pointer that Carolina made to tie the game, followed then by the historic buzzer-beater that Nova made. I was not referring to any level of upset (or team parity) whatsoever. NC State beating Phi-Slamma-Gamma for the Championship was exponentially a bigger upset than this year's game. In Fact, the 2015-2016 Villanova team was even rated #1 during the regular season, and was a # 2 seed when the brackets came out.
The '83 game ended on a fluke i.e. The shot was an air ball and Houston had no one in the paint to stop the dunk, an all-time goat play. No goats this past Monday. Just two sensational shots to create the best ending ever.
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