The North Carolina Tar Heels are out in front of the Villanova Wildcats in the National Championship Game, 39-34 as the first half has concluded.
The 'Cats were sparked by a balanced effort in the first half with five players scoring six or more points. Four players have seven points, as Phil Booth, Ryan Arcidiacono, Josh Hart and Daniel Ochefu have hit that threshold.
But thus far, they've been bested by a spectacular shooting night by the Tar Heels, who have rarely done such a thing this season. Joel Berry II has 15 points at the end of the first half, leading all scorers, with Justin Jackson trailing him with nine of his own.
UNC is shooting 53.6 percent from the field, and a ridiculous 77.8 percent from the 3-point line. The Wildcats meanwhile have a mark of 58.3 percent but are shooting just 42.9 percent from the 3-point line. It is perhaps a testament to their inside scoring that Villanova is down by just five with that kind of effort from UNC.
Twenty more minutes remain in this college basketball season. Let's see how it turns out.