Each and every year, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has memorable moments. These moments could be Cinderella stories living their dreams, a buzzer-beater to win a second round contest or even an improbable underdog victory. With so many moments, it’s difficult to narrow down the best, but since we’ve got March Madness fever, we chose our top 10 moments of all-time.
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
Best March Madness Moments
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10 – Arkansas’ Heave Knocks Off Defending Champion
Not much in basketball is more impressive than a buzzer beater to earn a victory – but in 1981, Arkansas’ U.S. Reed took it one step further. The No. 5 seeded Razorbacks trailed Louisville 73-72 – thanks to an impressive put-back by the Cardinals on their final possession – with five seconds left to play, but Arkansas still had one last little glimmer of hope. The Razorbacks inbounded the ball to Reed, who fired a 49-foot prayer that miraculously went in. It has become one of the tournament’s classic shots, one that took the Cardinals a while to get over.
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9 – Tyus Edney Keeps UCLA Alive
UCLA point guard Tyus Edney stood just 5-foot-10, but for one night during the 1995 NCAA Tournament he was the biggest player in the sport. With just 4.8 seconds remaining, the Bruins’ hopes of a title were in jeopardy, trailing eighth-seeded Missouri by one point. UCLA inbounded the ball and Edney flew down the court and hit a stunning layup over 6-foot-9 forward Derek Grimm, as the red light went off. It was one of the biggest moments that year and the Bruins rode it to a national title.
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8 – Michael Jordan Becomes Household Name
Now he's one of the most recognizable names in sports; it wasn’t always that way for Michael Jordan. That’s right, before his championships, his successful shoe line and Space Jam, his Airness was just a skinny freshman for the North Carolina Tar Heels. But in 1982, the world would learn who Jordan was. It was then, during the championship game against Georgetown – a contest loaded with future NBA talent – the youngster drained a 17-footer with 17 seconds remaining to give the Tar Heels the lead. The Hoyas had a chance to win it but a costly turnover sealed their fate and helped launch basketball’s biggest name to success. It was also the start of a not-quite-good-enough career for Patrick Ewing.
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7 – Keith Smart Becomes Indiana Hero
Trailing by one point with five seconds left in the 1987 championship game, the Indiana Hoosiers’ title dreams were on the line against Syracuse – but then came an unlikely hero. Scoring 12 of Indiana’s last 15 points, Keith Smart was clutch in the end, nailing a 15-foot jumper to give the Hoosiers a 74-73 win in what would be Bobby Knight’s third, and final, national title. Not bad for Smart, a guy who spent his first two years at a community college and was ironically benched early in the second half. It might not be the “sexiest” shot we’ve ever seen, but you won’t see too many that are as important.
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6 – John Wooden Wins 10th and Final Title
In the early 1970s, no college basketball coach was better than UCLA’s John Wooden. With nine national titles under his belt, Wooden shocked the NCAA in 1975 when he announced during the season that he would be retiring and that it would be his final campaign as head coach. The dominant Bruins wanted to send him out on top and did so with a storybook ending, beating the Kentucky Wildcats for the 10th title in 12 seasons. It capped off an impressive career for Wooden, which included seven undefeated seasons; the kind of dominance we haven’t seen since.
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5 – Villanova Stuns Georgetown
During the mid-1980s the Georgetown Hoyas were good – like real good. But the Villanova Wildcats were a team of destiny in 1985. Thanks to an improbable run that ended with a national championship via a 66-64 win over Georgetown after knocking off top-seeded Michigan and second-seeded North Carolina, that '85 Nova team is still talked about to this day. The Wildcats, led by Ed Pinckney – who earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Award – shot 75 percent from the floor, among the best percentages to date in the tournament. It remains the Philadelphia-area school’s most proud moment.
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4 – George Mason: The Bracket Killers
In 2006, a small university from Virginia made a lot of noise in the tournament – and forced a lot of people to rip up their brackets. Considered by some to be the greatest underdog in tournament history, 11th-seeded George Mason University did what most believed impossible. First, the Patriots beat Michigan State. Next came North Carolina, Wichita State – a fellow underdog – and Connecticut. With their exciting 86-84 overtime win over the No. 1 Uconn Huskies, George Mason earned a trip to the Final Four – winning the hearts of the country as the Cinderella story. Sadly, it didn’t end how it began.
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3 – Chris Webber’s Phantom Timeout
It was 1993 and No. 1 Michigan was squaring off against No. 1 North Carolina in the title game. The contest was back and forth for most of the contest. With 11 seconds to go, the Wolverines had the ball, trailing 72-71 – but that’s when things went terribly wrong for Webber and his "Fab Five." As the Wolverines forward drove down the court, he was double teamed by the Tar Heels and pulled off what was perhaps the biggest bonehead play ever. Webber tried to take a timeout but there was only one problem – the Wolverines had none remaining. They were called for a technical foul and went on to lose a game many believe they would have come out victorious in the final seconds. Controversies then ensued about whether or not Webber was bribed – we hope, as no one is that stupid, right?
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2 – NC State Pulls Off Impossible
North Carolina State didn’t seem to have a chance against the University of Houston in the 1983 title game. With such superstars as Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, Houston was the No. 1 seed, boasting a 31-2 record, a 26-game winning streak and they were expected to run the table against the No. 6 seed. In the biggest college basketball moment up to that time, the Wolfpack won 54-52 thanks to a last second prayer answered by a buzzer-beating dunk by Lorenzo Charles. Coach Jim Valvano was so stunned he didn’t know what to do as time expired. The story of the 1983 NC State Wolfpack remains the most improbable tournament victory in history.
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1 – Christian Laettner’s Miracle Shot
The greatest shot ever made in college basketball – plain and simple. Top-seeded Duke had to get through second-seeded Kentucky in the 1992 Regional Finals to make it to the Final Four, although it proved to be a challenge. The Wildcats took the lead with 2.1 seconds left and it appeared as though the Blue Devils’ defeat was imminent. Inbounding the ball behind his own basket, Grant Hill launched it down the court to Christian Laettner who was at the top of the key. Laettner faked one way after making the catch, spun back and sank a fade-away jumper from near the foul line as time expired. Duke went on to win the tournament, though it has since been overshadowed by Laettner’s legendary shot. Just for good measure, we've embedded the play below.
