PHOTOS: Tar Heel Fans Celebrate Big Win In Chapel Hill
By Matt Couch
Published April 4, 2017 at 9:23 AM EDT
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UNC student Kaitlyn Goodson cheers as the North Carolina Tar Heels take the lead against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the NCAA Championship on April 3, 2017. The Tar Heels would go on to win the game 71 to 65.
Matt Couch
The UNC men’s basketball team beat Gonzaga last night to win the team’s sixth national title.
The game was played in Glendale, Arizona, but more than 9,000 Carolina fans watched from the Dean Smith Center on campus in Chapel Hill.Related: Tar Heels Win National Championship
Students, faculty, alumni and fans crowded bars and restaurants along Franklin Street to watch the game. Others traveled from out-of-state to watch the game in the Dean Dome on campus.
And although there was nothing but excitement afterward, the crowd exuded a nervous energy through much of the game.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, fans rushed the court. They jumped around. Hugged each other. Laughed, shouted, cried as UNC claimed victory in the title game.
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Carolina fans in the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. wait to watch the North Carolina Tar Heels take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the NCAA Championship on April 3, 2017. North Carolina would go on to win the game 71 to 65.
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
Carolina fans in Sup Dogs, a Chapel Hill bar, cheer as the North Carolina Tar Heels win the NCAA Championship game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs on April 3, 2017.
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
UNC student Dalton Shaw reacts to a Tar Heel basket in the NCAA Chamionship game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Gonzaga Bulldogs on April 3, 2017. North Carolina would go on to win the game 71 to 65.
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
Thousands of Carolina fans storm Franklin Street after the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71 to 65 on April 3, 2017.
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
North Carolina fans celebrate around an impromptu bonfire on Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, N.C. after the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71 to 65 in the NCAA Championship on April 3, 2017.
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
A North Carolina fan sits above the crowd as thousands of Carolina fans storm Franklin Street to celebrate the North Carolina Tar Heel's victory over the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the NCAA Championship on April 3, 2017. The Tar Heels won 71 to 65.
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
North Carolina fans cheer on Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, N.C. after the North Carolina Tarheels defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71 to 65 in the NCAA Championship on April 3, 2017.
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
A North Carolina fan celebrates on Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, N.C. The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71 to 65 in the NCAA Championship on April 3, 2017.
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
Fireworks explode over Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, N.C. after the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71 to 65 in the NCAA Championship on April 3, 2017.