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Villanova tops Carolina 77-74 on Jenkins' buzzer-beater

<p>It was definitely a shot to remember: a 3-point attempt from the hands of Villanova's Kris Jenkins with less than a second left in a tied national championship game. </p><p>*Villanova fans cheering*</p><p>And he absolutely drained it. </p><p><a href="http://6abc.com/sports/villanova-wins-national-championship-on-buzzer-beater;-classes-canceled-on-tuesday/1276468/" target="_blank">The Villanova Wildcats</a> knocked off the North Carolina Tar Heels 77-74 Monday night in the NCAA men's basketball national championship game in Houston.</p><p>The shot is already going down as one of the best in national championship history. </p><p>"For it to happen like that — Kris Jenkins, the most clutch three in school history — I'm losing my mind. It's unbelievable," <a href="http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Villanova-Wildcats-Basketball-Championship-No-Classes-374584951.html" target="_blank">one Villanova student told WCAU</a>. </p><p>"This is arguably the greatest end in a national championship game. It's outrageous," <a href="http://www.csnphilly.com/ncaa/instant-replay-villanova-basketball-wins-national-championship-kris-jenkins-buzzer-beater-north-carolina" target="_blank">a Comcast SportsNet reporter said</a>. </p><p>It will forever stand alongside Chris Laettner's 1992 turnaround jumper and Lorenzo Charles' 1983 dunk as one of the greatest shots in tournament history. </p><p><a href="http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15137291/ryan-arcidiacono-villanova-wildcats-named-final-four-mop" target="_blank">An ESPN reporter asked</a>, "Kris Jenkins, you're now a part of history. Your shot will be seen for decades, for a long time. What's that like?" </p><p>"It's great, especially because we worked so hard as a team," Jenkins said. </p><p>This is Villanova's second men's basketball championship ever, <a href="http://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1" target="_blank">their last coming in 1985</a>. </p><p><i>This video includes a clip from </i><i><a href="http://www.fox29.com/news/local-news/117341694-story" target="_blank">WTXF</a></i><i> and images from Getty Images. </i></p>
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HOUSTON (AP) — One good shot deserved another.
 
Kris Jenkins of Villanova wasn't about to be outdone.
 
Jenkins overcame the shock of watching North Carolina's Marcus Paige hit a double-clutch 3 to tie it by spotting up behind the right side of the arc and draining a 3 of his own at the buzzer to lift Villanova to a 77-74 victory and the national championship Monday night.
 
What a shot — and what a game.
 
The second-seeded Wildcats (35-5), had a six-point lead with 1:52 left, but watched it slowly trickle away. Then, it was gone, when Paige jumped — and when Ryan Arcidacono started running at him — double clutched and pumped one from beyond the arc to tie the game at 74 with 4.7 seconds left.
 
After a timeout, Arcidacono worked the ball upcourt and got it to Jenkins, who swished it from about two steps behind the 3-point line.
 
"Kris told him he was going to be open, Arch made the perfect pass," Villanova coach Jay Wright explained. "Kris lives for that moment."
 
A few moments later, Jenkins was leaping over press row, hugging his family and shouting: "They said we couldn't, they said we couldn't, they said we couldn't."
 
Oh yes, they could.
 
It's Villanova's first title since 1985, when Rollie Massimino coaxed a miracle out of his eighth-seeded underdogs for a victory over star-studded Georgetown.
 
Hard to top this one, though.
 
Jenkins, who was adopted by the family of North Carolina guard Nate Britt, now has a spot with Keith Smart, Lorenzo Charles and anyone else who ever made a late game-winner to win the whole thing.
 
Paige finished with 21 for the top-seeded Heels (33-7), who came one agonizing shot short of giving coach Roy Williams his third national title.