Last year the North Carolina Tar Heels lost the National Championship to the Villanova Wildcats on a wild last-second buzzer beater. Fans and players alike were devastated. But this year, the Tar Heels found redemption in the NCAA tournament as they topped the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Monday to win their 6th national title, and the 3rd for head coach, Roy Williams.

The Tar Heels finished the regular season with a 26-6 record, including a 14-4 showing in the loaded ACC, winning the regular season conference title. They were upended by archrival Duke in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament after beating them in the final regular season game just six days earlier.

UNC earned a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and earned the right to face 16-seeded Texas Southern, champions of the SWAC. The Tar Heels put up over 100 points in a 103-64 rout of the overmatched Tigers. They then went on to defeat Arkansas in a tough second-round matchup, 72-65, and upset-minded Butler, 92-80, in the Sweet Sixteen.

Their Elite Eight matchup against two-seeded Kentucky, arguably the game of the tournament, proved to be their toughest test along their championship run. But after a close back and forth game the Tar Heels won on a buzzer beater by Luke Maye with .3 seconds remaining on the clock to make their 20th Final Four appearance, the most by any program.

In the Final Four, third-seeded Oregon, making its first Final Four appearance since the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1939,  also proved to be a challenge. Both offenses stalled throughout the game but two offensive rebounds by North Carolina in the final seconds sealed the deal, sending the Tar Heels to their second straight title game and 11th overall.

Their last stop on the road to a championship were the dominant Gonzaga Bulldogs. Both teams were seeded #1 in their region, which set the stage for a perfect national championship game.

Gonzaga jumped out to an early lead in the first half, leading by as many as seven, as North Carolina struggled rebounding on the offensive end, one of their best areas. The half ended with Gonzaga leading by 3 points, 35-32.

Other than redemption, the story of this game is fouls. The second half stalled in stretches and did not have any type of offensive rhythm for either team. Two of Gonzaga’s big men—Johnathan Williams and Przemek Karnowski—had four fouls each, and a third, Zach Collins, fouled out with five.

But this foul trouble for Gonzaga was North Carolina’s savior. The Tar Heels were able to pound the ball inside with Kennedy Meeks, Josh Jackson and Isaiah Hicks and attack the foul-laden Bulldogs. Combine this inside game with guard Joel Berry II’s ability to attack and create plays off the dribble, and the Tar Heels created the perfect recipe to dominate the second half.

After several lead changes in a close game, the Tar Heels were able to pull ahead in the final minutes. A block by Meeks on Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss with 15 seconds left, and a resulting breakaway dunk by Jackson, sealed the deal for the Tar Heels.

There was no buzzer-beater or any last second attempts this year. Just a great team who can play great basketball. The Tar Heels climbed the mountain that is the NCAA Tournament, and at the summit stood the national title they have been itching for since their heartbreaking loss last year. This year, North Carolina earned their well deserved redemption, winning the national title in a 71-65 victory.