Brackets: East | Midwest | South | West
North Carolina has booked the last ticket to Houston.
In front of a huge crowd at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday night, the top-seeded Tar Heels defeated ACC foe Notre Dame, 88-74, to win the NCAA Tournament’s East Region, joining Villanova, Oklahoma and Syracuse in the Final Four.
Sixth-seeded Notre Dame (24-12), which pulled off three comebacks during its thrilling run to the Elite Eight, went on a 12-0 run early in the second half to take a one-point lead. But the Tar Heels (32-6), who rocked the Irish by 31 points in the ACC Tournament just two weeks ago, quickly responded with a 12-0 run of their own to put the game away and set up another all-ACC matchup vs. 10-seed Syracuse next Saturday in Houston.
Vilanova and Oklahoma, both two seeds, will play in the other national semifinal on the other side of the bracket.
This will be North Carolina’s record 19th trip to the Final Four and the Tar Heels' first since 2009 when they captured the program’s fifth national championship.
For the second straight year, Notre Dame’s season ends in the Elite Eight. The Irish’s only Final Four appearance came in 1978.
Best performance
In the Tar Heels’ Sweet 16 game in Philly two days ago, it was Marcus Paige that got them going early. This time, it was 6-foot-10 classmate Brice Johnson scoring three baskets in the first five minutes en route to 25 points and 12 rebounds.
It was his 23rd double-double of the season, setting a UNC program record.
Johnson was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Region, joining Paige, Notre Dame’s V.J. Beachem and Demetrius Jackson and Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell on the all-region team.
Best player
Notre Dame star Demetrius Jackson did what he does, pouring in a game-high 26 points on 10 for 16 shooting and dishing four assists. The junior, who could be bound for the NBA, came out to huge cheers when he exited in the final minute — his first time checking out all night.
“He was unbelievable,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. “But he was also exhausted.”
Beachem also had a big game for the Irish with 18 points.
On top of Johnson’s big game, four other Tar Heels scored in double figures, including Paige (13) and Kennedy Meeks (10), who made some key second-half buckets inside.
Best play
With the game tied midway through the first half, Beachem drove baseline and threw down a thunderous one-handed slam, causing teammate Zach Auguste to feign passing out on the bench.
Auguste himself had a huge play later in the game, getting on the receiving end of an alley oop from Jackson and completing a three-point play during the Irish’s 12-0 run that gave them a 52-51 lead.
Best stat
Johnson finished the game with 12 boards — just three fewer than the entire Notre Dame team.
In addition to his double-double record, the UNC forward also tied a single-season school record for rebounds with 399, matching Tyler Hansbrough’s all-time mark.
Want another cool stat? North Carolina’s 61.5 percent field goal percentage was its highest ever in a regional final.
Best March moment
North Carolina’s net-cutting celebration wasn’t without a minor problem as UNC head coach Roy Williams briefly lost his balance on the ladder, grabbing a hold of the scissor and then cutting his hand.
Considering he’s now been to eight Final Fours, more than all but three other coaches, that surprised his players.
“He should be used to cutting the nets,” Paige said. “That’s something he’s done several times in his career. A couple of games ago, he was bleeding as well. He came in the huddle and said, ‘I’m bleeding for you guys!’ I guess he wanted to do it again.”
Williams actually said he was bleeding just two days ago in the Sweet 16 win over Indiana after biting his lip.
It didn’t bother him, though.
“I’ve really got good looking blood,” he said. “It’s very bright.”
Biggest turning point
North Carolina’s 12-0 run right after Notre Dame’s 12-0 run was clearly the most critical juncture of the game.
The most electrifying part of the spurt was how it ended with Isaiah Hicks finishing a great alley-oop. But the most important part may have been how it started with Paige drilling a key jumper to give the lead right back to UNC and steal the momentum away from the Irish.
“I thought the way they answered that run was championship level,” Brey said. “They’ve got a great vibe about them right now.”
Best quote (winning team)
“I never wanted anything in my life for someone else as much as I wanted to get this bunch to the Final Four.”
- North Carolina head coach Roy Williams
Best quote (losing team)
“I went back to the locker room last year in Cleveland after the Kentucky game [in the Elite Eight] and I remember saying, ‘It was an honor to coach you.’ And I remember walking out of the locker room and thinking, ‘I won’t ever feel the same way about a team as I did that team.’ And I feel better about this group.”
- Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey
Best fans
With all due respect to the cute kid dressed in a leprechaun outfit, the UNC fans boasted the more creative outfits with a couple dressed in UNC onesies, a woman dressed as a “celebrity queen” and two kids that poured blue paint all over their faces during a break in the action.
They also had the stadium rocking during the trophy ceremony with one side yelling “Tar” and the other “Heels.”
Best band
North Carolina’s band came alive late, playing a cool rendition of “Some Nights” and then “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Uptown Funk” during the postgame celebration.
Notre Dame’s was very good, too, but there’s only so much of that fight song you can take in one game, no matter how iconic it is.
Best Philly connection
This is not entirely a Philly connection but it’s pretty cool that UNC’s Nate Britt will join Villanova junior Kris Jenkins in the Final Four considering both not only played for the same high school team (Gonzaga in D.C.) but also lived together since they were 12.
Fresh off his team’s victory in Louisville, Jenkins was at the Wells Fargo Center to help Britt celebrate.
For Notre Dame, former St. Joe’s Prep star Steve Vasturia finished his junior season with an 11-point performance.
Also, many non-Philadelphians in the crowd were introduced to Philly’s own Timmy Kelly, who gave a rousing rendition of the national anthem.