GLENDALE, Ariz. -- They sat in that locker room in Houston last year, tears in their eyes, shock on their faces, slowly coming to terms with the fact that they were on the wrong end of the biggest shot in NCAA Tournament history.

It was a sad scene.

North Carolina was ahead at the half and tied with only one second left. So the Tar Heels looked like eventual national champions at one point -- and like a team headed to overtime when Marcus Paige buried the most completely overshadowed wild shot ever. But then Ryan Arcidiacono rushed the ball upcourt and flipped it back to Kris Jenkins. And you know what happened next.

Jay Wright said “bang.”

The ball went through the hoop.

Elation on one side. Heartbreak on the other.

Villanova 77, North Carolina 74.

“The feeling of inadequacy in the locker room last year is the worst feeling I’ve ever had,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “But this one’s fantastic. And it’s sweet.”

North Carolina beat Gonzaga 71-65 late Monday at University of Phoenix Stadium to win the 2017 NCAA Tournament. This time the Tar Heels were down at the half and trailing with 1:41 left. But they made enough plays late, on both ends of the court, to avoid another title game defeat. So their self-described “redemption tour” is complete. And it’s a great and surprising story.

Yes, surprising.

To be clear, there was nothing surprising, in the moment, about UNC winning this championship considering it was a No. 1 seed and slight favorite over Gonzaga in the title game. But almost nobody except the players who spent Monday night celebrating in a water-soaked locker room -- and optimistic diehard fans -- saw this coming in November. The Tar Heels had lost two starters from last season’s 33-win team. They added a sub-25 national recruiting class and zero players who went on to average at least 15 minutes on this 33-win team. So it was hardly shocking when they got zero first-place votes in the preseason AP and coaches polls.

Simply put, the Tar Heels weren’t supposed to win this national championship.

They weren’t even supposed to win the ACC.

But they did.

By multiple games.

And then they went 6-0 in the NCAA Tournament -- but it wasn’t simple. The Tar Heels had to rally to beat Arkansas in the Round of 32. They needed a last-second jumper from Luke Maye to beat Kentucky in the Elite Eight. They needed two offensive rebounds in the final seconds to prevent Oregon from having a jumper to upset them in the Final Four. And they had to come from behind in the final two minutes to beat a Gonzaga team hindered by foul trouble, specifically to Zach Collins.

Four of UNC’s six games in this tournament were total nail-biters.

But UNC closed strong each time.

And this really is the most improbable of Williams’ three championship teams -- and for multiple reasons. Remember, the 2005 title team received first-place votes in the preseason AP poll and featured six players who went on to play in the NBA. And the 2009 title team received every first-place vote in the preseason AP poll and featured seven players who went on to play in the NBA.

But this 2017 title team?

This 2017 title team, again, received zero first-place votes in preseason polls. And how many future NBA players are on the roster? Justin Jackson for sure. Tony Bradley probably. Maybe Theo Pinson. But that really might be it. The answer might be three. And while that’s likely more than Gonzaga had on its roster, it’s not more than Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, UCLA, just to name a few, had on their rosters.

In other words, Roy Williams didn’t overwhelm the country with talent.

He’s done that before.

But that’s not what he did this time.

This national championship isn’t a byproduct of his ability to recruit. This national championship is a testament to his ability to develop and coach. So while I recognize that any national title is special and a source of pride, this one must be a little more special, if only because it’s a national title not many saw coming in the preseason and one that lessens the hurt of 2016.

“You know, I think it does,” Williams agreed.

And then UNC’s Joel Berry II summarized things well.

“It’s just an unbelievable feeling,” said Berry, who finished with 22 points and six assists in 37 minutes to earn Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. “This is what we worked for. And the ups and downs that we’ve had? It’s all worth it. I can’t even describe my feeling right now. But I’m just glad that I was able to do something with this team ... because ... I think we just deserved it.”