Remembering UNC Freshman Michael Jordan's Clutch Dagger in the National Title Game Against Georgetown
By Michael Luciano
Before Michael Jordan became arguably the greatest player to ever pick up a basketball, he was a promising freshman at North Carolina who made his name with one clutch jumper that ruined the Georgetown Hoyas' season and gave Dean Smith and the Tar Heels a national title. With the Hoyas focusing on Los Angeles Lakers legend James Worthy, Jordan was left wide open, and he sunk a trademark MJ midrange jumper that helped North Carolina win the 1981-82 NCAA Tournament by a 63-62 scoreline.
March 29, 1982: Michael Jordan hits the game-winning jumper with 17 seconds left to lift North Carolina to a 63-62 win over Georgetown for the National Championship. pic.twitter.com/Y4sTA66uaf
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) March 29, 2020
Jordan and the Tar Heels survived 23 points and 11 rebounds from Hoyas legend and Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing in this game.
Jordan managed just 16 points in this contest, deferring to Worthy and his 28-spot. However, as evidenced in "The Last Dance", Jordan cited this shot as the main catalyst for his transformation from a promising, stringy guard into the Michael Jordan who would regularly take over games.
What Michael Jordan told Roy Williams early on at North Carolina: https://t.co/d1JG0mWqXR pic.twitter.com/PCGlRhoPaS
— 247Sports (@247Sports) April 20, 2020
Jordan sunk the Hoyas and morphed into the greatest clutch performer in basketball history on the back of one of the most legendary individual shots in college basketball folklore.