The Tar Heels defeated the Fab Five-led Wolverines and won their third national championship, after having been victorious in 1957 and 1982 beforehand. Donald Williams was named the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player for his efforts throughout the tournament. This was the third consecutive national championship won by the ACC.
Michigan was later forced to vacate its appearance in the title game due to issues found with the eligibility of Chris Webber in the University of Michigan basketball scandal. This would be Michigan's last appearance in the championship game until 2013.
Michigan and North Carolina were portrayed as different playing styles, with Michigan having an "NBA–style" roster and UNC having "the model college system."[15] Kansas center Eric Pauley, who played both teams, stated that Michigan was "really athletic," while North Carolina was "fundamentally sound."[15] In addition, Michigan was known for allowing freshmen to get significant playing time, while also allowing their players to be more "flamboyant" and expressive.[16][17] With respect to the sophomores on the Michigan roster, coach Smith said he was "amazed at what they had done" and mentioned how they had been to two Final Fours in as many years, further stating "that's a lifetime."[17] The Tar Heels, on the other hand, were known for being a program where upperclassmen get more of the publicity and playing time.[16] Montross commented on North Carolina's perception and related it to how Dean Smith "won't settle for anything but the image he has," while referencing their clean shaven appearance, proper dress attire when traveling and going to dinners, and their "[doing] everything just right.[17]
Dean Smith, who had only one national championship to his credit from 1982, was viewed to have needed the game for his legacy as it would "shut up" critics.[16] In addition, it would bring the Tar Heels to the forefront after Duke having won the previous two national championships.[16] Meanwhile, Steve Fisher, was thought to have needed to win the title in order to vindicate to critics that he "can coach."[16] He had previously won a national title in 1989 when he gained control of Michigan's team before the start of the NCAA Tournament.[17] In advance of the game Smith spoke of Wolverines saying "They're quick, and Coach Fisher has done a great job getting the ball inside. They know how to pass and catch it."[16]
As the two teams met in December in the Rainbow Classic, most media commented on the game and influenced their expectations. It was noted that the game would be different as Michigan's Jackson would be expected to play more than the minute he did in December before he left the game with a dislocated shoulder.[16] Coach Smith felt Michigan relied on Jackson defensively and noted that he has been doing well on offense as of late.[16] Mark Rosner of Austin American–Statesman wrote that North Carolina was performing much better on offense than they were in that December matchup.[16]
Writers noted that Howard, Eric Reilly, and Webber would likely rotate on the seven–footer Montross, but Webber has the "brawn" to go against Montross.[17] In regards to facing off and defending Montross, Webber stated "I'm not afraid of anyone."[16] Montross spoke of Webber and his matchup saying that "Blocking shots is going to happen. He's got me. I got him."[17] Rose was thought to have a great performance as he would need to minimize his turnovers.[17]
The last 58 seconds of the game became one of the most famous moments in tournament history. After Eric Montross slammed the ball through the net to cap a 9–0 North Carolina run, Michigan got a basket from Ray Jackson on its next possession. With 46 seconds left, Michigan called its final timeout. The Tar Heels then turned the ball over attempting to inbound it, giving Michigan another possession. Jalen Rose missed a game tying three pointer, but Chris Webber scored on a putback to bring the Wolverines to 72–71.
Needing to extend the game, Michigan fouled Pat Sullivan on the next possession and sent him to the free throw line for the front end of a one-and-one. Sullivan converted, extending the North Carolina lead to two. However, he was unable to hit the second free throw, and Webber grabbed the rebound. There were 19 seconds on the clock when he took possession.
Initially, all of the other Wolverines went back upcourt and Webber froze. Rose would eventually come back toward him to give Webber a potential passing option, but he was closely guarded. Webber thought about passing but pulled the basketball back at the last second. In doing so, however, he inadvertently took a step without picking up his dribble, which should have resulted in Webber being called for traveling and the ball going back to North Carolina; although the Tar Heels' entire bench leapt up in protest, the officials did not see Webber's error and play continued.
A then-panicked Webber then picked up his dribble and sprinted upcourt, but he ran into North Carolina's half-court trap and ended up in the corner near the Michigan bench. Unable to pass the ball without turning it over, and in danger of stepping out of bounds, Webber turned to the nearest official and signaled for a timeout with 11 seconds remaining. Since they had no timeouts to use, Michigan was assessed a technical foul; this resulted in the Tar Heels receiving two uncontested free throws, which they successfully converted, and possession of the ball. North Carolina added two more points from the free throw line on the ensuing possession, rounding out the scoring at 77-71 and giving them their first national championship since 1982.
Aftermath
Michigan would later vacate its appearance in both the 1992 and 1993 Final Four and their subsequent title games due to issues found with the eligibility of Chris Webber in the Ed Martin scandal. While the other members of the Fab Five were cleared of any wrongdoing, the group's reputation was nonetheless tarnished by the scandal. As a result of the scandal, Michigan entered a slump during the 2000s and would not return to the Final Four until 2013. They would also return to the championship game in 2013 as well, where they lost to Louisville (the Cardinals, ironically, would vacate their title due to a major scandal).
North Carolina would not return to the national championship game until 2005, where they defeated another Big Ten team in Illinois to win their fourth championship.
References
Footnotes
↑ In the wake of the basketball scandal that was resolved in 2002, Michigan self-imposed a punishment that included vacating their wins from the 1992-93 season. This altered their overall record from 31-5 to 0-4.
↑ Cindy M. Van Matre; Eric Barnhardt; John R. Rutledge, eds. (1993), "1993 Final Four Rosters", 1993 Division I Men's Basketball Championship, Lexington, Kentucky: Host Communications Publishing, p.103
↑ Dave Lohse, ed. (1992), "Preview", Carolina Basketball 1992-93, Cincinnati, Ohio: Johnson and Hardin Printing Company, p.24
↑ Cindy M. Van Matre; Eric Barnhardt; John R. Rutledge, eds. (1993), "1993 Final Four Rosters", 1993 Division I Men's Basketball Championship, Lexington, Kentucky: Host Communications Publishing, p.106
1 2 "The Final Four"(PDF). 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four Records. NCAA. 2018. p.297. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 20, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
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