North Carolina defeats Syracuse to advance to championship game against Villanova
The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Syracuse Orange had already met up twice going into their matchup inside NRG Stadium on Saturday in the 2016 Final Four. However, with the stakes higher and North Carolina having already won twice, it really felt like anyone could walk out of this Final Four matchup as the winner, advancing to the National Championship.
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Right from the tip, it looked like that was exactly the way the game in Houston was about to play out as the teams traded buckets and went back-and-forth. The score remained tight until North Carolina's star forward in Brice Johnson threw down a massive putback dunk on an offensive rebound that really swung the momentum in favor of the Tar Heels. That turned the tides and North Carolina really never looked back.
Though the Orange made North Carolina a little nervous in the second half of this Final Four matchup, the Tar Heels just pressed on the gas once more and pulled away even further before. Whenever it was all said and done, the Tar Heels looked as dominant as they have throughout the entire tournament and will now look to meet preseason expectations by winning a title on Monday.
Three Stars
Brice Johnson – 16 points, nine rebounds, one block
Trevor Cooney – 22 points, five rebounds, one assist, three steals
Kennedy Meeks – 15 points, eight rebounds, two steals, two blocks
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