How Villanova’s #NationalChampionship victory played out on Twitter

The live conversation amongst college hoops fans, analysts, writers, teams, athletes, celebs, and more around @NovaMBB’s thrilling buzzer beating #NationalChampionship victory over @unc_basketball unfolded on Twitter. Let’s look at some of the best content and data from the final #MarchMadness game.

@MarchMadness brought fans highlights on Twitter throughout the night, including the game-winning shot by Nova’s Kris Jenkins (@bigticket2) and the game-tying shot just before that by UNC’s Marcus Paige (@marcuspaige5).

Here are the champs on stage after the win:

@unc_basketball had a great season led by seniors who will be missed:

The conversation around #MarchMadness trended on Twitter, and the thrilling end to the game had many fans Tweeting with amazement. Check out this data visualization that shows the two major spikes in mentions of ‘whoa’, ‘omg’ and ‘wow’ at the end of the game:

NBA All-Stars reacted to the thrilling finish as well:

Perhaps the most notable UNC former player was in attendance to support his Tar Heels:

These were the most-Tweeted-about moments during the game:

1. Kris Jenkins (@bigticket2) makes game winning three pointer as time expires to give Villanova the 77-74 National Championship victory over UNC.
2. Marcus Paige (@marcuspaige5) hits three pointer with 4.7 seconds left to tie the game at 74.
3. Marcus Paige rebound and layup cuts Nova lead to 72-21.

And here were the most-mentioned players on Twitter during the live telecast of the game:

@NovaMBB

1. Kris Jenkins (@bigticket2)
2. Ryan Arcidiacono (@RyArch15)
3. Phil Booth (@Philb_5)

@unc_basketball

1. Marcus Paige (@marcuspaige5)
2. Joel Berry (@JoelBerryII)
3. Brice Johnson (@bjohnson_23)

And finally, check out this Moment with some memorable Tweets from the #NationalChampionship: