Taking a Moment to Look Back at North Carolina's Redemption Season and a Plea for a Change in the Game

It’s not going to be remembered as a memorable game. It’s not going to be remembered as a good game. But, it doesn’t matter because UNC achieved the goal that it had for the last year. Get back to the title game and this time win it. We all know the story from last year’s Villanova game. We all know it can be corny and played out, but with a team filled of upperclassmen that experienced that loss, it’s true. This was a season of redemption. This was also a season of solidification and that’s where I want to start.

This team and this win solidified Roy Williams. It solidified this season as the best coaching job he’s ever done. It solidified him as a legend in the coaching game. It solidified him from a lot of us idiots – me included – who completely questioned his ability. Sure, he’s still likely to make a bone-headed decision when it comes to a timeout or scheme, but this season he avoided it all. He stayed out of the way and let his team do what they do best. That’s what’s beautiful about the Roy Williams system. It’s what makes it tough to scout against. His offense is all predicated on the first pass and where Joel Berry (or the point guard) cuts from there. That’s part of the reason Berry was one of the 10-15 best point guards in the country this year and why he won MOP of the Final Four. He understood Roy’s system. He knew when to push tempo and when to get into the half court. So for Roy, this win, which is his 3rd title, puts him in the top-10 coaches of all time with ease. You can argue where he falls within there, but to be top-10 of anything is damn impressive.

Looking back at the game, it wasn’t pretty. I mean there’s no way around it. Neither team played well, the refs were beyond atrocious in the second half and it was just an ugly, bad game. But, UNC made the plays it had to in order to win. Most notably the play Isaiah Hicks made to seal the game (aided by the refs missing Kennedy Meeks out of bounds). Hicks was bad this Final Four. He was 6-for-21 from the field. He looked like he was pressing most of the time. But, when UNC needed a bucket he gave them the game with this play. He reverted to what he knew. Athleticism and it paid off.

UNC played an old-style of basketball this season. They shot like shit from the 3-point line, especially in the NCAA Tournament. They shot 29.36% from the 3-point line in the NCAA Tournament including 14.8% during Monday’s national title game. Kennedy Meeks balled out in the Final Four and destroyed Kentucky on the glass in the Elite Eight. Carolina continued to use its size advantage all tournament, playing through the post and attacking the glass. It wasn’t the most beautiful basketball, but it was effective.

The other thing UNC did? They defended when they had to, especially late in the game against Gonzaga. They forced Nigel Williams-Goss into an 18-footer after a timeout where he rolled his ankle instead of pressing and letting him get to the rim. They used their size to bother Karnowski in the post and make him uncomfortable with every shot. they made guys like Johnathan Williams and Josh Perkins try to beat them. Then when they had to they got the stop. The block by Kennedy Meeks after the Hicks bucket will be a picture that UNC will hang up at some point. He played it perfectly. He sat on the spin, used his size to give NWG a little bit of space then went straight up.

Finally, this is my last plea for the game to go to quarters. The foul fest was atrocious. The one-and-done rule isn’t what’s ‘killing’ college basketball. It’s inconsistency by refs game-in and game-out. The first half wasn’t called tight, they let them play and had a flow to it. The second half? It’s all people will remember instead of the plays. At least by going to quarters the fouls reset after 10 minutes and you’re not suckered into watching a free throw shooting contest for the last 15 minutes of the game. There’s no reason to still play halves. Men’s college basketball is the only game in the sport still using this and it’s time just get rid of the damn thing.

It was a damn impressive season for UNC and college basketball in general. We saw a ton of talent across the country and a bunch of memorable games throughout the year. I’ll be doing a full season recap later on before getting into Draft previews. I do want just say thank you quickly to everyone who read, interacted and followed along this year as it was another fun one.