Nearly everyone with a college basketball bracket held their breath in anticipation as the Villanova Wildcats took on the Oklahoma Sooners on April 2, 2016. In perhaps the most overwhelming game in Final Four® history, the Wildcats dispelled the confidence of the Sooners in what will soon become cemented in Final Four® history. Here’s why the play-by-play of this game inspired re-enactments on almost every home basketball court across the nation.
Villanova Held 44-Point Margin of Lead Over Oklahoma
The 44-point lead that Villanova held over Oklahoma is the largest margin ever seen in a Final Four® game; consequently, Oklahoma is also the second team to lose by 44 points as a single-digit seed in tournament history. Yet if that’s not enough to inspire a few slam dunks on your home basketball court, Villanova now holds the second-best field goal percentage in Final Four® history. Villanova’s field goal percentage weighs in at 71.4 percent for Monday night’s game — impressive, considering that the best field goal percentage occurred in the 1985 national championship game that pitted Villanova against Georgetown.
Villanova’s 3-Pointers and Oklahoma’s Critical Mistakes
It’s been 37 years since a No. 1 or No. 2 seed has ever lost a tournament game by more than 27 points. However, Oklahoma’s 44-point loss to Villanova became the first tournament game since 1979 to break this record. This may have had something to do with Oklahoma’s perpetual mistakes and Villanova’s impressive 3-pointers during the second half — so impressive, in fact, that they might inspire you to work on a few 3-pointers on your own home basketball court.
Villanova Wins Championship Against North Carolina
It’s no surprise that Villanova went on to win the college basketball championship game against North Carolina — although the game was a close one. With Villanova holding a three-point lead over North Carolina at the end of the fourth quarter, fans everywhere erupted into applause as the Wildcats took the championship title. Whether you ultimately ended up supporting Villanova or rooted for the underdogs, one thing is certain: The tournament brought together friends and families alike for some healthy rivalry and competition.