North Carolina showed incredible class after Monday's brutal loss
Losing a national championship game is always hard, and losing one in the fashion that North Carolina did Monday night is harder.
But in the wake of the euphoria surrounding Villanova's buzzer-beating 77-74 win in Houston, there's also something to be said for the way the Tar Heels handled about the most devastating defeat imaginable.
Moments after he nearly saved the season with one of the most incredible shots in Final Four history, Carolina senior guard Marcus Paige was as gracious as could be in his postgame address to the media, giving proper credit to Villanova while also reflecting on his own career in a much more thoughtful and honest way than one might expect after such an emotional loss.
For a moment, Marcus Paige saved North Carolina's title hopes with this shot.
"In terms of legacy, it's hard to think about that, you know," an emotional Paige told reporters in Houston after the game. "The fireworks go off -- you want that to be your moment, as bad as you want anything in your life. You don't know how much our team wanted this game."
A short time earlier, Paige nearly single-handedly rallied his team to victory in the game's waning minutes. His 3-pointer off an out-of-bounds play cut what was a 10-point Villanova lead to three with 1:35 to play, and with 28 seconds left and his team still down three, Paige came up with an unthinkable offensive rebound and putback to bring his team within one.
Then there was the shot -- the stadium-rattling, double-clutch 3 that tied the score with 4.7 seconds left -- that put the title firmly within Carolina's grasp, only have it ripped away with the game-winner from Villanova's Kris Jenkins as time expired.
After an ending like that, no one would have faulted Paige had he been surly at the dais, and there isn't a soul who would have thought any less of him had he said "thanks but no thanks" to the throng of reporters waiting for him when he returned to the locker room. But before he took his jersey off or removed the towel draped around his neck, Paige kept answering questions, each response as earnest as the last long after his obligation with the media was done.
And perhaps Paige's classy approach to losing is little more than a reflection of his coach, Roy Williams.
Say what you will about Carolina's general likeability or its blue-blood status, but Williams, for all the winning he's done in his career, also knows how to lose with dignity. During his own postgame address, Williams sounded completely distraught, not so much for himself -- he's already won a couple of these at UNC, after all -- but for the players, particularly the seniors who won't get another opportunity at a championship.
"This is a difficult time period as a coach, and the players, because you fought so hard and you did so much throughout the course of the season to have a chance to win a national championship," Williams said, his dadgum-Bobby-Bowden-style charm only barely masking the pain in his eyes. "I've had some really, really good teams, and some really, really good players. I've never been as proud of a group as I am of this group right now.
"That coach out there on that court, cutting down those nets, is really proud of his team," Williams added later of Villanova's Jay Wright. "But I wouldn't trade my team for anybody. I just wish I could have helped them a little bit more."
This is a man who is undoubtedly one of the greatest coaches in the game, one who has won nearly 800 games in his storied career, yet after the loss, Williams lamented the fact that he couldn't ease the pain for his guys. Beyond that, you knew that he deeply, genuinely meant it -- it wasn't just lip service -- and if nothing else, it was clear from those statements that there's a deeper reason kids want to play for Williams than the simple fact that he coaches at North Carolina.
"I'm not very good 'cause I can't take away the hurt," Williams recalled of his postgame address to his team. "I'm not very good because I can't change that. I told them I loved them. I told them I wished I could have helped them more -- that I appreciated them from the bottom of my heart."
Heck, Michael Jordan -- arguably the most competitive person on the planet -- had no problem giving credit where it was due after his alma mater's loss. As streamers fell from the NRG Stadium roof, TV cameras caught Jordan soaking in Villanova's celebration, offering up a knowing "good shot" in response to Jenkins' game winner. Even MJ couldn't reduce himself to pouting after the ending, a true testament to the theory that "game recognize game."
Jordan mouthed "Good shot"https://t.co/r8A7luBoO7
— Phil Murphy (@Phil_Sports) April 5, 2016
Now comes the even tougher part for Carolina -- moving on. Monday night's championship was an all-time classic, and the memory of the loss won't go away any time soon for the victors or the losers. But if Carolina's response in the immediate aftermath of the most agonizing loss in NCAA is any indication, the Tar Heels will be fine.
"The whole four years means the world to me," Paige said after the game. "I wouldn't trade any of the losses, any of the games. It's hard to say, but even including this one, I wouldn't trade it for anything. ... (It) hasn't been my best year as a player, but this has been the most fun I've had in my entire life with this team, all the way up until that last horn went off.
"It's hard because at some point tonight I have to take this jersey off and I never get to put it back on," he added, perhaps answering the question of why he'd rather continue answering questions than distance himself from the result. "I just have to rely on all the memories I have with my teammates. I'm telling you, this is the most fun year in my entire life. I don't know what else to say."
By that point, however, Paige and the Tar Heels -- both past and present -- had said everything they needed to in a master class on how to lose with dignity.
You can follow Sam Gardner on Twitter or email him at samgardnerfox@gmail.com.
