77NCAA BBA Team That Was Blessed
- Date
3/23/1957
- Location
Kansas City, Mo.
- Moment
North Carolina won the 1957 NCAA title after two contests that went down to the wire. In the semifinals against Michigan State, the lead changed 31 times. Michigan State made a half-court shot to beat the buzzer at the end of regulation. North Carolina won it 74-70. In the championship game, against Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas, Carolina center Joe Quigg hit two free throws with six seconds left in the game—the first tied it, and the second won the game for North Carolina.
- Impact
Both games were ranked by USA Today as some of the best in NCAA Tournament history (ranked 6th and 11th, respectively). North Carolina's 1957 championship was the first one in school history.
