2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the final game of the
2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 20 ...
and determined the national champion for the
2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 13. The first tournament was the 2K Sports Classic and ended with the Final Four in Houston April 2–4. Practices officially began on October 2. Rule changes The followin ...
. The game was played on Monday, April 4, 2016, at
NRG Stadium NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to have a retrac ...
in
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Texas, between the
Villanova Wildcats The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East (NCAA Division I) for every sport; except football and rowing where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association (Football Championship Sub ...
and the
North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...
. The first half was closely fought, with neither team leading by more than five points in the first 19 minutes. After North Carolina briefly took a seven-point lead in the final minute, a field goal by Phil Booth for Villanova cut the lead to 39–34 at the break. Villanova started to gain the upper hand in the second half, taking their largest lead of the game, 67–57, with 4:47 remaining. North Carolina then surged back, setting up a heroic comeback in the final minutes. With just over 1:30 remaining,
Marcus Paige Marcus Taylor Paige ( sr-Cyrl, Маркус Тејлор Пејџ; born September 11, 1993) is an American-Serbian professional basketball player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the University of North Caro ...
hit a three pointer to cut the lead to three points. After Villanova turned over the ball,
Brice Johnson Jonathan Brice Johnson (born June 27, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Toyama Grouses of the B.League. He played college basketball for North Carolina, graduating in 2016. He was selected in the first round (25th pick o ...
cut the lead to one point. Booth was fouled and hit two free throws to retake a three-point lead. With 13 seconds remaining, the lead was again three points for Villanova. On the ensuing possession, Paige sunk an off-balance three-point field goal to tie the game with 4.7 seconds left. However,
Ryan Arcidiacono Ryan Curran Arcidiacono ( ; born March 26, 1994) is an Italian-American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Arch of Dimes", he has represented Italy in inte ...
found
Kris Jenkins Kristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins (born August 3, 1979) is a former American football defensive tackle who played for the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of ...
for a buzzer-beating, championship-winning three-point shot, with Villanova defeating North Carolina by a final score of 77–74. It was Villanova's second title overall, and first since 1985. Jenkins's
buzzer beater In basketball and other such timed sports, a buzzer beater is a shot that is taken before the game clock of a quarter, a half (if the half is the second one, then, a game), or an overtime period expires but does not go in the basket until after t ...
, is considered to be one of the greatest shots in NCAA tournament history.


Participants


Villanova

After a 27–4 regular season and winning the 2016 Big East Conference regular season championship, Villanova beat Georgetown and
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
en route to the 2016 Big East tournament finals, where they would lose to
Seton Hall Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesa ...
. They were the #2 seed in the South Regional of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Villanova cruised past UNC Asheville in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament with an 86–56 victory. In the second round, Villanova routed
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
by a score of 87–68 to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009. In the South Regional semifinals, Villanova blew out
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
by a score of 92–69. In the South regional Final, with Villanova leading 62–59, Mikal Bridges made a steal before
Frank Mason III Frank Leo Mason III (born April 3, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for SLUC Nancy Basket of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for the University of Kansas, where he was the starting point guard for the Jayhawks. F ...
could shoot a potential game-tying three-pointer, and
Jalen Brunson Jalen Marquis Brunson (born August 31, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Villanova University, where he was the National Pl ...
made the ensuing free throws and Villanova beat the #1-overall seed
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
64–59 to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2009. In the 2016 Final Four, Villanova defeated
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, 95–51, the largest margin of victory in Final Four history, to advance to the national championship game for the first time since their 1985 National Championship run. The game also featured the second-best shooting percentage in a Final Four game, behind only Villanova's 1985 Championship Game performance of 78.6% (22-for-28).


North Carolina

After a 25–6 regular season and winning the 2016 ACC regular season championship, North Carolina beat
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Notre Dame, and
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
en route to the ACC tournament championship. They were rewarded with the top seed in the East Regional of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. North Carolina opened the 2016 NCAA Tournament with an 83–67 win over Florida Gulf Coast, outscoring FGCU 42–27 in the second half. North Carolina would again use a big second half to beat
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
, 85–66, in the second round, outscoring the Friars 51–36 in the second half to advance to the Sweet 16. In the Sweet 16,
Marcus Paige Marcus Taylor Paige ( sr-Cyrl, Маркус Тејлор Пејџ; born September 11, 1993) is an American-Serbian professional basketball player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the University of North Caro ...
would have 21 points and
Brice Johnson Jonathan Brice Johnson (born June 27, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Toyama Grouses of the B.League. He played college basketball for North Carolina, graduating in 2016. He was selected in the first round (25th pick o ...
would have 20 points to power UNC to a 101–86 victory over
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. In the Elite Eight, North Carolina beat fellow ACC foe Notre Dame, 88–74, to advance to an NCAA Tournament-record 19th Final Four. In the Final Four, North Carolina beat another ACC foe,
Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...
, 83–66, to make their 10th appearance in the National Title game in hopes of winning their sixth national title. UNC became one of only four schools to do so, along with
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
,
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, and
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
.


Starting lineups

(number corresponds to draft round) † = 2016 All-American


Game summary

The first half of the National Championship game was tightly fought, with neither team taking a lead larger than five points in the first 19 minutes. In the last minute of the half, North Carolina briefly went up by seven points, and had a chance to go up by nine. However, Villanova's
Josh Hart Josh Hart (born March 6, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz with the 30th ...
blocked a layup attempt, which led to a Phil Booth jump shot at the other end of the court, cutting the deficit to 39–34 as the clock expired. At halftime,
Joel Berry II Joel DeWayne Berry II (born April 1, 1995) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and led the team to the 2017 national championship. Berry played professionally for tw ...
of the Tar Heels led all players with 15 points. Despite entering the game ranked only 294th out of all 351 Division I teams in three-point shooting, North Carolina hit seven of their nine three-point attempt in the first half. However, the Tar Heels hit just 32% of their two-point attempts. Villanova had the edge in points the paint by an 18–12 margin, connecting on 65% on their two-point shots. The Tar Heels led in fast break points by a 10–2 margin and collected five offensive rebounds compared to only one for Villanova. Villanova's
Kris Jenkins Kristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins (born August 3, 1979) is a former American football defensive tackle who played for the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of ...
played just four minutes in the half after getting into early foul trouble. After the halftime break, Villanova went on a 13–2 run and reclaimed the lead. With 6:13 left in the second half,
Ryan Arcidiacono Ryan Curran Arcidiacono ( ; born March 26, 1994) is an Italian-American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Arch of Dimes", he has represented Italy in inte ...
of the Wildcats hit a three-point field goal to give his team a lead of six points. With 4:47 to go, Villanova was up by a game-high 10 points, leading 67–57. However, North Carolina fought back with two straight field goals. With 1:38 remaining, Villanova led 70–64 before
Marcus Paige Marcus Taylor Paige ( sr-Cyrl, Маркус Тејлор Пејџ; born September 11, 1993) is an American-Serbian professional basketball player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the University of North Caro ...
of the Tar Heels hit a three-pointer to cut the lead in half. After a Villanova turnover, Brice Johnson hit a bank shot to cut the Wildcats' lead to one point. Phil Booth of the Wildcats was fouled by Isaiah Hicks with 35.7 seconds left. He hit both free throws to put the lead back to three points. Paige missed a layup attempt on the ensuing possession, but North Carolina got the rebound and Paige made a reverse layup to cut the lead back to one. Villanova's Josh Hart was then fouled and hit both free throws. Down by three points, North Carolina tied the game on an "unbelievable" double-clutch three-pointer by Paige with 4.7 seconds remaining. After the game, North Carolina Coach Roy Williams remarked "he turned a broken play into a great play". Villanova then called a time-out to set up their final play, one that they had practiced "every single day" during the season, called "Nova". After receiving the in-bounds pass, Arcidiacono passed with less than two seconds to Jenkins, who hit a game-winning,
buzzer-beating In basketball and other such timed sports, a buzzer beater is a shot that is taken before the game clock of a quarter, a half (if the half is the second one, then, a game), or an overtime period expires but does not go in the basket until after t ...
three-point shot. It was the first buzzer-beating shot to win an NCAA men's national title since
Lorenzo Charles Lorenzo Emile Charles (November 25, 1963 – June 27, 2011) was an American college and professional basketball player. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Charles played basketball for North Carolina State University and scored the game-winning ...
' dunk for
North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...
in 1983, and the first title game ever to end on a buzzer-beating three-pointer. "Kris Jenkins lives for that moment", remarked his coach Jay Wright. Paige finished with a game-high 21 points and a game-high 6 assists for North Carolina. Berry added 20 points for the Tar Heels and Johnson scored 14 while collecting a game-high 8 rebounds. Booth came off the bench to lead Villanova with a career-high 20 points. Arcidiacono scored 16, Jenkins added 14, and Hart had 12 points and 8 rebounds. As a team, Villanova finished 28 of 48 from the field (58%) and 8 of 14 from three (57%). North Carolina made 11 of 17 three-point attempts (65%) and was 27 of 63 overall (43%). The Tar Heels won the rebounding battle 33–23, including 14 offensive rebounds to just two for Villanova. The teams combined for just 21 turnovers. It was Villanova's second NCAA championship. Their first championship was in the 1985 Championship Game, when they defeated the Georgetown Hoyas in what is often considered one of the greatest upsets of all time.
Rollie Massimino Roland Vincent Massimino (November 13, 1934 – August 30, 2017) was an American basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Stony Brook University (1969–1971), Villanova University (1973–1992), the University of Nevada, L ...
, the head coach of the 1985 Wildcats, was on hand to watch the 2016 Championship Game. The Wildcats finished the tournament with the second-largest average margin of victory in tournament history, behind only the 1996 Kentucky team.


Broadcast calls on the final shot


Reactions

In his post-game press conference, Jay Wright remarked, "That was one of the greatest college basketball games we've ever been a part of. I just couldn't be prouder, couldn't be happier to see them fulfill this. This is what it's all about as a coach". He added, "I can’t wait to see that look (on my face), because I was just shocked" by the final play. "We beat a class program. Great coach and great team. We have a lot of respect for North Carolina". Roy Williams, who was in tears after the game, described his reaction as the final shot went in: "It was helpless. It was not a good feeling". He added, "I'm not very good because I can't take away the hurt ... I told them I loved them. I told them I wish I could have helped them more".
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...
Matt Norlander described the game as "a thrilling, undeniably heart-stopping, instant classic of a title game". ESPN staff writer Eamonn Brennan also called the game an "instant classic" and said both teams "were flying around the floor, playing high-level, pinpoint basketball and trading great plays". The
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
called the final basket "as memorable as any ointsthat have been scored in the history of this tournament". Writing for ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', Nicole Auerbach called Villanova's performance "one of the most improbable and offensively insane NCAA tournament runs", ending with "one of the most thrilling championship games in tournament history". Villanova's championship win was so unexpected that more contestants in ESPN's Tournament Challenge bracket contest picked Villanova to lose in the first round than picked them to win the championship. In response to the historic win and to combat absenteeism the following day, classes at Villanova were cancelled.


Media coverage

The National Championship game was broadcast in the United States by TBS, marking the first time that the national championship game aired exclusively on
pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...
, and ending a 34-year run on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
(CBS and TBS will alternate broadcasting the championship game every other year through 2024; thus, the game returned to CBS for 2017). TBS's sister channels
TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
and
TruTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that focu ...
aired special broadcasts of the game known as ''Team Stream powered by
Bleacher Report Bleacher Report (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sport and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. Bleacher Report was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in Aug ...
'', which featured commentators representing the two participating teams. These special telecasts had been used for the Final Four since they moved to TBS in 2014, but this marked the first time they were used for the national championship. On the main broadcast,
Jim Nantz James William Nantz III (born May 17, 1959) is an American sportscaster who has worked on telecasts of the National Football League (NFL), NCAA Division I men's basketball, the NBA and the PGA Tour for CBS Sports since the 1980s. He has anchor ...
was on play-by-play, with
Bill Raftery William Joseph Raftery (born April 19, 1943) is an American basketball analyst and former college basketball coach. High school and college years Raftery attended Saint Cecilia High School in Kearny, New Jersey, where he starred in basketball an ...
and
Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who is a co-owner and executive of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Duke University and is widely considere ...
providing on-court commentary.
Tracy Wolfson Tracy Wolfson (born March 17, 1975) is an American sportscaster for CBS Sports. She is the lead sideline reporter for the NFL on CBS. Early life Wolfson grew up in Congers, New York, and attended Clarkstown High School North, in the New York Ci ...
was the on-court reporter.
Craig Sager Craig Graham Sager (June 29, 1951 – December 15, 2016) was an American sports reporter who covered an array of sports for CNN and its sister stations TBS and TNT, from 1981 until the year he died. Sager worked as a sideline reporter pacing ...
was also on hand, as he interviewed former North Carolina guard,
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
legend, and Basketball Hall of Famer
Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...
, who was in attendance.
Greg Gumbel Greg Gumbel (born May 3, 1946) is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments for CBS Sports (most notably, the National Football League and NCAA basketball). The older brother of news and sportscaster Bryan ...
and Ernie Johnson served as the pregame hosts.
Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Natio ...
,
Seth Davis Seth Davis is an American sportswriter and broadcaster. He is a host on Campus Insiders, an in-studio analyst for CBS' men's college basketball coverage, and an analyst for the NBA Draft on NBA TV. He currently writes for ''The Athletic'' and is ...
,
Reggie Miller Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller was known for his precision three-p ...
,
Clark Kellogg Clark Clifton Kellogg Jr. (born July 2, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who is the lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Indiana Pacers. Basketbal ...
,
Kenny Smith Kenneth Smith (born March 8, 1965), nicknamed "the Jet", is an American sports commentator and former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1987 to 1997 as a member of the Sacrame ...
and
Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to: Academics * Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager * Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...
provided commentary. TNT's "Team Stream", focusing on North Carolina, was called by
Wes Durham Dallas Wesley "Wes" Durham (born January 25, 1966 in Greensboro, North Carolina) is an American sportscaster. He is a play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports and ACC Network coverage of college football and basketball. He works telecasts of the Atl ...
with analyst
Brendan Haywood Brendan Todd Haywood (born November 27, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who was a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Following his playing ...
and sideline reporter Dwayne Ballen, while on truTV's "Team Stream", which focused on Villanova,
Scott Graham Scott Graham (born June 10, 1965) is an American sportscaster best known for his broadcasts of the Philadelphia Phillies, his work with NFL Films, and his studio hosting of '' The NFL on Westwood One''. He has lived and worked near Philadelphia ...
called the game with analyst
Brian Finneran Brian Joseph Finneran (born January 31, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1998 and also played for the Barcelona Dragons, Phila ...
and sideline reporter Kacie McDonnell. When it was first revealed that TBS would air this game, some concerns arose as to whether the traditional closing song, ''
One Shining Moment "One Shining Moment" is a song written by David Barrett that has become closely associated with the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. "One Shining Moment" is traditionally played at the end of CBS's and TBS's coverage of the champio ...
'', would be used due to its association with CBS, but TBS eventually played it to end the telecast, and continues to do so when it has the broadcasting rights to the Final Four and national championship.
ESPN International ESPN International is a family of sportscasting and production networks around the world. It was begun in 1989, is operated by ESPN Inc. and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Operating regions Latin America Spanish-speaking countries * E ...
owned the international broadcast rights.
Sean McDonough Sean McDonough (born May 13, 1962) is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN and WEEI Red Sox Radio Network. Early life The son of ''Boston Globe'' sportswriter Will McDonough, McDonough graduated from the S. I. Newhouse School ...
served as the play-by-play announcer for the international audience, with
Dick Vitale Richard John Vitale (; born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadcaster fo ...
providing commentary. In Canada, the game aired on TSN. Radio coverage in the United States was provided by
Westwood One Westwood One is an American radio network There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and ...
, with
Kevin Kugler Kevin Kugler is an American sportscaster who primarily works in radio broadcasting. Kugler is currently employed by Westwood One as its lead college basketball voice as well as one of its Sunday NFL voices, and by the Big Ten Network as a play-by- ...
calling the game. The Championship Game was also streamed live on NCAA.com free of charge. With the switch from
broadcast television Broadcast television systems (or terrestrial television systems outside the US and Canada) are the encoding or formatting systems for the transmission and reception of terrestrial television signals. Analog television systems were standardized b ...
to
cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...
, ratings in the United States sharply declined from the 2015 title contest between
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
and
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. The three cable channels airing the game, TBS, TNT and TruTV, had a combined broadcast average of 17.8 million viewers. That total is down from the 28.3 million who watched the previous year's Championship Game, which aired exclusively on CBS.


References

{{2016 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball navbox NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Games North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball Villanova Wildcats men's basketball Basketball in Houston College sports in Texas Sports competitions in Houston NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game