# 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2016 [NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i-mens-basketball-tournament) was a 68-team, single-elimination postseason championship won by second-seeded Villanova, which defeated top-seeded North Carolina 77-74 in the final on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Kris Jenkins in Houston, Texas.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) • [2](https://www.si.com/college/2016/04/05/ncaa-tournament-villanova-north-carolina-kris-jenkins) It was Villanova's first national title since 1985 and its second overall.[3](https://apnews.com/article/9747974c22e96512a3720ea0b0a57ffe)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Champion | Villanova (35-5), coached by Jay Wright, won its second NCAA title[1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) |
| Championship game | April 4, 2016, NRG Stadium, Houston: No. 2 seed Villanova 77, No. 1 seed North Carolina 74, before 74,340 fans[4](https://www.ncaa.com/basketball-men/d1/villanova-college-basketball-championships-complete-history) • [5](https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/) |
| Winning shot | Kris Jenkins made a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, after Marcus Paige's game-tying three with under five seconds left[6](https://www.ncaa.com/video/basketball-men/2020-03-19/villanova-vs-unc-2016-national-championship) |
| Semifinal | Villanova 95, Oklahoma 51 on April 2, a 44-point margin[4](https://www.ncaa.com/basketball-men/d1/villanova-college-basketball-championships-complete-history) |
| Shooting record | Villanova shot 58.2 percent for the tournament, the best field-goal percentage in an NCAA Tournament in 50 years[7](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15134570/villanova-offense-dominates-en-route-ncaa-title) |
| Field size | 68 schools, a format in place since 2011[8](https://fueledbysports.com/cbb/brackets/2016/) • [9](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-05-07/how-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-has-evolved-through-years) |
| Runner-up | North Carolina (33-6), which returned to the title game in 2017 and won it[10](https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ncaa-matchup-20160404-story.html) • [1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) |
## Format and field
The tournament used the 68-team structure adopted in 2011, with opening-round games in Dayton on March 15 and 16 feeding a 64-team bracket of four regions seeded 1 through 16.[9](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-05-07/how-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-has-evolved-through-years) • [11](https://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/external/printable-bracket/2016/bracket-ncaa.pdf) The Final Four was played in Houston on April 2 and 4.[11](https://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/external/printable-bracket/2016/bracket-ncaa.pdf)
Early rounds also carried measurable local impact. The first and second rounds in Raleigh generated $4.6 million in direct visitor spending, drew a total attendance of 53,447 across three sessions at PNC Arena, and coincided with hotel occupancy 6.5 percent higher than the same dates the previous year.[12](https://www.visitraleigh.com/media/press-release/post/2016-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-1st-2nd-rounds-in-raleigh-generates-46-million-in-direct-visitor-spending/)
## Villanova's run
Villanova spent a portion of the regular season as the top team in the country and entered the tournament as a No. 2 seed.[5](https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/) • [10](https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ncaa-matchup-20160404-story.html) The Wildcats romped through the first three rounds, knocked off the tournament's top-seeded team, Kansas, in the Elite 8, and then beat Oklahoma in the national semifinal by an historic margin.[5](https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/) That semifinal ended 95-51, a 44-point win in which Villanova shot 71.4 percent.[4](https://www.ncaa.com/basketball-men/d1/villanova-college-basketball-championships-complete-history) • [7](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15134570/villanova-offense-dominates-en-route-ncaa-title)
Shooting efficiency defined the run. Villanova's 58.2 percent field-goal mark for the tournament was the best in an NCAA Tournament in 50 years.[7](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15134570/villanova-offense-dominates-en-route-ncaa-title)
## The championship game
North Carolina, a No. 1 seed at 33-6 under [Roy Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/roy-williams-basketball-coach), controlled the early going: Carolina could not miss in the first half, while Villanova got hot in the second.[10](https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ncaa-matchup-20160404-story.html) • [5](https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/) The undersized Wildcats hit tough shots and pestered Carolina's longer players down low, and two free throws from Phil Booth, who came off the bench to score 20 points on 6-for-7 shooting, gave Villanova a 67-57 lead with 5:29 remaining.[5](https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/)
North Carolina fought back, and with 4.7 seconds left [Marcus Paige](https://www.edgepedia.org/marcus-paige) buried a double-clutch, game-tying three-pointer to make it 74-74.[5](https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/) • [6](https://www.ncaa.com/video/basketball-men/2020-03-19/villanova-vs-unc-2016-national-championship) Villanova had less than five seconds to go the length of the floor. [Ryan Arcidiacono](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-arcidiacono) took the inbounds pass from Jenkins, dribbled down the left side, and passed at mid-court at 2.7 seconds; two Carolina defenders converged on Arcidiacono, leaving Jenkins alone trailing the play. Jenkins caught the ball at 1.5 seconds, set himself, and released a three-pointer that went through the rim as the buzzer sounded.[5](https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/) • [4](https://www.ncaa.com/basketball-men/d1/villanova-college-basketball-championships-complete-history) The final score was 77-74.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1)
The ending drew wide attention. The Guardian described the finish as one to boggle the mind, and the shot is counted among the greatest in NCAA tournament history.[13](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/05/villanova-shock-unc-kris-jenkins-ncaa) • [4](https://www.ncaa.com/basketball-men/d1/villanova-college-basketball-championships-complete-history) Jenkins's championship ring later had a detour of its own: he lent it to a stranger during the 2022 Final Four in New Orleans and needed more than two years to get it back.[14](https://apnews.com/article/f9905dcf78981fd04433d91eca4d63e2)
## Aftermath
For Villanova, the title was the program's first in more than three decades, following the 1985 upset of defending champion Georgetown 66-64.[15](https://time.com/4281690/ncaa-final-kris-jenkins-three-pointer-villanova-unc/) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/9747974c22e96512a3720ea0b0a57ffe) Jay Wright, who took over as head coach in 2001 and stayed 21 seasons, added a second championship in 2018.[3](https://apnews.com/article/9747974c22e96512a3720ea0b0a57ffe) Several members of the 2016 team, including [Jalen Brunson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jalen-brunson), Josh Hart, and [Mikal Bridges](https://www.edgepedia.org/mikal-bridges), later won NBA championships together with the [New York Knicks](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-knicks).[16](https://www.ncaa.org/stories/the-nova-knicks-how-brunson-hart-and-bridges-won-championships-in-college-and-the-nba/)
For North Carolina, the loss was a second straight title-game heartbreak in waiting: the Tar Heels returned to the championship game in 2017 and beat Gonzaga 71-65 for the program's sixth title.[17](https://time.com/4722151/why-not-gonzaga/) • [1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1)
## References
1. [DI Men's Basketball Championship History, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1)
2. [Villanova defeats UNC for national title on Kris Jenkins three at buzzer, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/2016/04/05/ncaa-tournament-villanova-north-carolina-kris-jenkins)
3. [From March Madness miracles to a season opener in Rome: The story of Catholic college hoops, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/9747974c22e96512a3720ea0b0a57ffe)
4. [Villanova college basketball championships: Complete history, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/basketball-men/d1/villanova-college-basketball-championships-complete-history)
5. [Buzzer Beater: How Villanova Won a Classic NCAA Title Game, Time](https://time.com/4281689/villanova-ncaa-title-north-carolina/)
6. [2016 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/video/basketball-men/2020-03-19/villanova-vs-unc-2016-national-championship)
7. [How Villanova's sharpshooting delivered a national championship, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15134570/villanova-offense-dominates-en-route-ncaa-title)
8. [2016 NCAA Tournament Bracket, Scores & Results, Fueled by Sports](https://fueledbysports.com/cbb/brackets/2016/)
9. [How the NCAA men's basketball tournament has evolved through the years, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-05-07/how-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-has-evolved-through-years)
10. [Villanova vs. North Carolina: How they match up in the NCAA championship, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ncaa-matchup-20160404-story.html)
11. [2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Official Bracket, NCAA/Turner](https://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/external/printable-bracket/2016/bracket-ncaa.pdf)
12. [2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament 1st & 2nd Rounds in Raleigh Generates $4.6 Million in Direct Visitor Spending, Visit Raleigh](https://www.visitraleigh.com/media/press-release/post/2016-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-1st-2nd-rounds-in-raleigh-generates-46-million-in-direct-visitor-spending/)
13. [Villanova's champions still in shock after an ending to boggle the mind, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/05/villanova-shock-unc-kris-jenkins-ncaa)
14. [Kris Jenkins hit 'The Shot' to win Villanova a national title. So what happened to his ring?, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/f9905dcf78981fd04433d91eca4d63e2)
15. [Watch the Buzzer-Beating Three-Pointer That Ended the NCAA Championship, Time](https://time.com/4281690/ncaa-final-kris-jenkins-three-pointer-villanova-unc/)
16. [The 'Nova Knicks: How Brunson, Hart and Bridges won championships in college and the NBA, NCAA.org](https://www.ncaa.org/stories/the-nova-knicks-how-brunson-hart-and-bridges-won-championships-in-college-and-the-nba/)
17. [Why Not Gonzaga?, Time](https://time.com/4722151/why-not-gonzaga/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › US college basketball (NCAA, NAIA) › Tournaments, seasons, and conferences*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license