Having Witnessed Michael Jordan Grow, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith Agreed on This NCAA Moment Enshrined in Their Memory

Charles Barkley had the rare opportunity to see Michael Jordan‘s incredible development. Jordan and Barkley were passionate rivals on the court since they belonged to the same generation of basketball legends. In the 1990s, Barkley frequently faced up against Jordan’s Chicago Bulls while representing the Phoenix Suns and then the Houston Rockets. Kenny Smith, on the other hand, had the privilege of playing with him when Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls. \

Having witnessed greatness upfront and close, Barkley and Smith surely know when to acknowledge a great play when they see one. Fittingly, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith agreed on this NCAA moment enshrined in their memory.

An iconic moment in NCAA history

The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Villanova Wildcats faced off in the national championship game in 2016. And the results left an indelible impression on both the players and fans. With neither team holding a sizable lead, the Tar Heels and Wildcats began exchanging blows. At the interval, North Carolina was leading 39-34, by a margin of five points.

The game was played in a back-and-forth fashion until Villanova went on two crucial 7-0 runs. This gave them leads of 53-46 and 67-57 with just over five minutes left in the second half. Guard Marcus Paige’s layup trimmed Villanova’s advantage to 72-71 as North Carolina fought to get back into the game.

Then came the crucial second that would go down in the annals of the NCAA tournament. With only 13.5 seconds left and a three-point deficit, North Carolina had to decide whether to play for the ball on their last possession or try to score quickly and foul Villanova to give themselves another chance. They went with the latter option.

Paige received a bounce pass from Joel Berry II. Unfortunately, Villanova’s center Daniel Ochefu made a crucial mistake that gave Paige a little window of opportunity. Despite this, Paige made a spectacular double-clutched, delayed 3-pointer as two defenders closed in. As he released the ball, each of his legs travelled in opposite directions. The shot connected, tying the game at 74-74. The stage was set for a heart-pounding conclusion. In 4.7 seconds, Villanova could run the entire court and win. Jenkins, the Wildcats’ accurate shooter, inbounded the ball, which Arcidiacono, the playmaker, took.

North Carolina mishandled the inbounds pass defense as Arcidiacono moved past midcourt. He moved from the left to the right side of the court in six dribbles, setting up Berry to sprint into Ochefu’s screen. Arcidiacono spotted Jenkins at midcourt with barely three seconds left.

Jenkins, who had been a consistent 3-point shooter for Villanova all season, was unguarded by North Carolina’s defense because they didn’t react quickly enough to do so. Jenkins was in stride when Arcidiacono encountered him. And he confidently performed a one-two-step maneuver before firing the shot.

Jenkins unleashed the shot, and Berry and Hicks, the two closest defenders, failed to properly block it. Jenkins’ shot rattled dramatically off the back left corner of the rim before ultimately falling through the net.

Swoosh!

Jenkins signaled “three” with his raised arms as the buzzer sounded. In celebration of their national championship victory, his teammates sprinted to greet him. The North Carolina athletes, though, were rendered speechless in awe.

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Even Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith remember the moment vividly today.

Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith reminisce about the iconic buzzer-beater

“The Villanova game was probably the greatest game I’ve been at not as a player,” Barkley recalled. On the other hand, Kenny Smith believes it to be “one of the top five North Carolina shots in the history of the game.”

Barkley, overjoyed by the victory, jumped high when the shot went in, a rare event as Kenny Smith would agree. Barkley then revealed that he instantly thought of his daughter and Jay Wright. His daughter graduated from Villanova – and Jay Wright finally won a championship off his back.

He proudly stated, “Chris Jenkins walk in the room. And they say everybody who hit a game-winner to win a National Championship raise your hand. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be the only one who raises his hand.”

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Kris Jenkins’ shot for Villanova in the 2016 NCAA Championship game will always have a unique place in basketball history. With a last-second buzzer-beater by Jenkins, the Wildcats defeated North Carolina in a dramatic game, leaving the crowd in an uproar as the ball swished through the net. This memorable moment will definitely go down in basketball history along with previous illustrious basketball buzzer-beaters.