GLENDALE, ARIZ. — On this stage, 364 days ago, the North Carolina men's basketball team fell hard.
There's no way it didn't hurt. Fighting back from 10 points down; hitting an unbelievable circus shot to tie the game with 4.7 seconds left; watching it all fade into the background as Kris Jenkins gave Villanova the national title at the buzzer. How could you possibly take that punch and get off the mat?
But tonight at University of Phoenix Stadium, UNC finished what it started. As the final buzzer sounded on North Carolina's 71-65 win over Gonzaga, the pain subsided.