The 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the final game of the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and determined the national champion for the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The game was played on Monday, April 4, 2016, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, between the Villanova Wildcats and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The first half was closely fought, with neither team leading by more than five points in the first 19 minutes. After North Carolina briefly took a seven-point lead in the final minute, a field goal by Phil Booth for Villanova cut the lead to 39–34 at the break. Villanova started to gain the upper hand in the second half, taking their largest lead of the game, 67–57, with 4:47 remaining. North Carolina then surged back, setting up a heroic comeback in the final minutes. With just over 1:30 remaining, Marcus Paige hit a three pointer to cut the lead to three points. After Villanova turned over the ball, Brice Johnson cut the lead to one point. Booth was fouled and hit two free throws to retake a three-point lead. With 13 seconds remaining, the lead was again three points for Villanova. On the ensuing possession, Paige sunk an off-balance three-point field goal to tie the game with 4.7 seconds left. However, Ryan Arcidiacono found Kris Jenkins for a buzzer-beating, championship-winning three-point shot, with Villanova defeating North Carolina by a final score of 77–74. It was Villanova's second title overall, and first since 1985. Jenkins's buzzer beater is considered to be one of the greatest shots in NCAA tournament history.
Participants
Villanova
After a 27–4 regular season and winning the 2016 Big East Conference regular season championship, Villanova beat Georgetown and Providence en route to the 2016 Big East tournament finals, where they would lose to Seton Hall. They were the #2 seed in the South Regional of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Villanova cruised past UNC Asheville in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament with an 86–56 victory. In the second round, Villanova routed Iowa by a score of 87–68 to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009. In the South Regional semifinals, Villanova blew out Miami by a score of 92–69. In the South regional Final, with Villanova leading 62–59, Mikal Bridges made a steal before Frank Mason III could shoot a potential game-tying three-pointer, and Jalen Brunson made the ensuing free throws and Villanova beat the #1-overall seed Kansas 64–59 to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2009. In the 2016 Final Four, Villanova defeated Oklahoma, 95–51, the largest margin of victory in Final Four history, to advance to the national championship game for the first time since their 1985 National Championship run. The game also featured the second-best shooting percentage in a Final Four game, behind only Villanova's 1985 Championship Game performance of 78.6% (22-for-28).
North Carolina
After a 25–6 regular season and winning the 2016 ACC regular season championship, North Carolina beat Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, and Virginia en route to the ACC tournament championship. They were rewarded with the top seed in the East Regional of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
North Carolina opened the 2016 NCAA Tournament with an 83–67 win over Florida Gulf Coast, outscoring FGCU 42–27 in the second half. North Carolina would again use a big second half to beat Providence, 85–66, in the second round, outscoring the Friars 51–36 in the second half to advance to the Sweet 16. In the Sweet 16, Marcus Paige would have 21 points and Brice Johnson would have 20 points to power UNC to a 101–86 victory over Indiana. In the Elite Eight, North Carolina beat fellow ACC foe Notre Dame, 88–74, to advance to an NCAA Tournament-record 19th Final Four. In the Final Four, North Carolina beat another ACC foe, Syracuse, 83–66, to make their 10th appearance in the National Title game in hopes of winning their sixth national title. UNC became one of only four schools to do so, along with Duke, UCLA, and Kentucky.