Michael Jordan, Rollie Massimino among legends expected at tile game

HOUSTON -- It's college basketball's biggest night, and the stars are out at NRG Stadium for the national championship game on Monday night.

North Carolina has plenty of former players around NRG Stadium on Monday night, including Michael Jordan.

His Airness has arrived at the title game. pic.twitter.com/eujw3O9X4Z

— Luke Winn (@lukewinn) April 5, 2016

Jordan was on the Tar Heels' 1982 championship team. He played in Chapel Hill from 1981-84 before being picked third overall in the NBA draft.

Jordan did a halftime interview with Turner's Craig Sager.

Also: I'm told by #UNC that there are more than 50 former players here, the most for any one game that SID Steve Kirschner can remember.

— Powell Latimer (@PowellLatimerNR) April 5, 2016

Among the dozens of former Heels that were expected in Houston are current Golden State Warrior Harrison Barnes and basketball analyst Kenny Smith. Smith, who was at North Carolina from 1983-87, is a part of the TBS set for pregame, halftime and postgame shows. The championship game is being broadcast on TBS for the first time.

PREGAME TALK! #FinalFour #TarHeels pic.twitter.com/6aGM32Bhdb

— Kenny Smith (@TheJetOnTNT) April 5, 2016

If Villanova wins, it will be in front of those who brought the school's other national title 31 years ago.

Rollie Massimino, the coach who led Villanova to its only championship in 1985, made the trip to Houston to cheer on the Wildcats. According to USA TODAY, Massimino flew in from his Jupiter, Florida home on Monday.

Massimino was head coach at Villanova for 19 years, amassing 355 wins. He was instrumental in the program’s rise to prominence as a part of the Big East Conference, which it joined in 1980. His 1985 championship team remains the lowest-seeded team to win a national championship – the Wildcats were seeded No. 8 when they knocked off No. 1 Georgetown the the title game. Massimino also coached at UNLV and Cleveland State before retiring in 2003.

Most of that 1985 championship team is expected to attend the game, as well as former Wildcat guard and current Toronta Raptor/NBA All-Star Kyle Lowry.

Jordan and Massimino were both shown on the video board early in the game, and the crowd responded with rousing applause.

LIVE: Follow along with courtside updates from the national championship game