While watching the first two rounds of March Madness this weekend, I got in the mood to think back to all of my favorite Cinderella stories and buzzer beaters.
One of my favorite aspects of college hoops is the fact that there are over 300 Division I Men's Basketball programs. Moreover, the fan base of each team is not always as geographically finite as the boundary of your average professional sports franchise.
For instance, I am a Syracuse Orange fan because of family ties, despite growing up during a great stretch for more local favorites (UMass and UConn).
Don't be afraid to add heart wrenching stories of defeat. Anything goes. Whether you're a George Mason fan or alumnus of Florida.
Whether you have celebrated recent success, or your team is going through a drought, and March forces you to go through your own catalogue of mental highlights from yesteryear... we all have a favorite moment, story, or team, that they recall every year, around this time.
Now's your chance to share your favorite college hoop memories with the rest of us. This experiment will only be as strong as the contributions. So, comment early and reply often.
I'd love to get a dialogue going about some of our favorite moments (or in some cases, least favorite moments).
Now for our Disclaimer:
I know we sometimes get heated when discussing our favorite/most hated teams, but let's try to keep it respectful and offer solid commentary when posting.
Please refrain from posts that simply state, "Duke sucks" (whether I may personally agree or not) or "UCLA rocks." If they do not add constructively to the conversation, then please leave them out.
I'm not saying we can't sling a little mud at the programs we "hate", but make sure to add some content to the argument as well.
Get creative—tell us where you were, how it happened, how you celebrated. Anything you'd like, but be sure to add to the conversation and give specifics (years are especially helpful if at all possible).
Bonus: If you can find a video of your favorite moment somewhere on the web, throw in a link, so we can all enjoy it.
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3 months ago
Mid-March 2005...
Worcester, MA (minutes away from my hometown)
My parents have tickets to the first round UVM vs. Syracuse game. I've been talking trash to my best friend since the brackets were announced (he's a senior at UVM at this time). Syracuse looks great and is coming into the tournament with a full head of steam. I just watched an excellent live NC State game the previous day with my dad and had decided to stay home and watch Syracuse dismantle the Catamounts from the comfort of my home.
Just a couple hours later, I sat, frozen in time... following a close back-and-forth game, Vermont's slick-shooting Sorrentine, who must have had ice water running through his veins, hit a 28-foot 3-pointer in the last minute of OT to knock the Orange out of the tournament. With that shot Sorrentine ended Syracuse's '04-'05 season, decimated my bracket, and killed a small piece of me. Since then, Syracuse has had some amazing Big East tournament runs, but has failed to produce in the big leagues.
I'm still waiting for the recovery... Sorrentine, I'd love to see you make that shot again. I've got a Franklin with your name on it, you name the court and the time. Until then, I guess I'll just root for the Big East (a.k.a. The Basketball Conference).
from 3 months ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBFFJb9KSdc&feature=related
Still hurts to watch this, but I posted it here for those who haven't had the pleasure/horror of seeing it.
3 months ago
The year 2006-2007 early fall the Buckeyes could are the team to beat in football. But wait there is this guy named Gregg Oden playing B-Ball and he is a phenomenon... Could this be the year they can take football and basketball in the same year?
They make ti to the national title in football game... and get their buts kicked to Florida (No. 2 Florida 41, No. 1 Ohio St. 14).
Well a good run at it and least there is Oden and Mike Conely Jr. and a #1 ranked basketball program and they can loose a national title to the same team in Basketball as they did in football....
Sure enough Florida takes the basketball National Title in the same year. (1) Ohio State 75, (1) Florida 84
Disbelief and Depression set in, just to loose another title game in football in 2007......
Bitter sweet at least we made it to the dance..... too bad there was no champaign.
from 3 months ago
Surely the Michigan loss to Appalachian State must have healed those wounds at least a little Matt, right?
from 3 months ago
Any Michigan loss is a good thing but it is not a good thing for the Big 10...
What happened to the days of the fab five at Michigan Chris Webber, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard and Ray Jackson. What happened to their Program...
3 months ago
2004 Second Round, Alabama vs. Stanford.
After visiting Tuscaloosa for the A-Day game, My family and I settled in to a little wing joint in downtown Tuscaloosa to watch Alabama in the NCAA tournament. Alabama got behind against #1 Stanford by 15 before sparking a late second half run to come back and win the game. Alabama would go on the beat Syracuse before losing to UConn in the Elite Eight in the Tide's only run to that stage in the tournament.
Shockingly enough, Alabama was 14-18 from the line in that game, and we couldnt find water from a boat this year at the line.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=244000034
from 3 months ago
Sorry it took me a bit longer to find this clip than the other Nic, but it's definitely in my top ten. Nothing goes with wings better than a off-kilter buzzer beater in March:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eroZxZdmNZI
3 months ago
Alright, technically it wasn't March Madness, just the Big East Tourney in 2006...
Syracuse needs a deep run in the tournament in order to go dancing. Gerry McNamara is facing the possibility that every game he steps onto the court, may be his last in Orange and White. What does he do? He puts together, in my completely biased opinion, the most ridiculous conference tournament performance in the history of NCAA hoops (if you know of another example, please make your case)... only to be called "Overrated" by student and national sportswriters during the middle of the Big East Tournament run.
What followed was one of the most clutch weeks a college basketball player has ever had... Gerry could not miss when the game was on the line, Head Coach Jim Boeheim loses his mind and curses out the media and some of his own unnamed assistant coaches, oh yeah, it all ended in thousands of 'Cuse fans rocking orange "Overrated?!?!" t-shirts and the demolishing of several records. Syracuse was the first team to win a game following an OT performance in tournament history; they won four games to complete their championship run; the Orange knocked off three of the top teams in the country (including #1 UConn).
Okay... so I cheated, it wasn't "March Madness", but it was probably the most exciting story of 2006 for all loyal 'Cuse fans, and I had to add it.
from 3 months ago
I keep forgetting to add the links, sorry everyone. This is a MUST watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ArlqIs2NT8
from 3 months ago
See 1995 ACC Tournament....Randolph Childress
In 3 ACCT games....35.7 PPG 7 APG, hit the game-winner in OT vs. UNC to win it.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bgsVItGvRQo
Also did this
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sRJMsoIptQo
from 3 months ago
Wow Jared,
It only took about 15 minutes for you to come up with an equally impressive candidate for most impressive "clutch" performance in a conference tourney...
Thanks for one of the prettiest crossover clips I've seen in a long time as well! Great links Jared!
3 months ago
I hate to say it, but this year's Drake - Western Kentucky game had one of the best final shots I have ever seen. Ty Rogers was very far back, and I almost felt bad for him the way he was dished the ball, expected to drain it.
But he did, and the number 5 seeded Drake fell.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tre8Xa04g8Q
from 3 months ago
Nothing shameful about a last second, three-on-one, deep three pointer to knock off a 5 seed! It didn't hurt that this shot catapulted me to the top of my pool!
from 3 months ago
It might have sent you to the top of your pool, but it gave my dad a better bracket record than me.
Oh, well.
3 months ago
Great topic - my favorite March Madness moment is Keith Smart hitting the game-winning shot to beat Syracuse in the 1987 championship game. i'm not an Indiana fan, so that is not the reason this is my favorite moment. It is because this is the game when I really began to love college basketball. It is the first championship game I remember watching, and it was an amazing game. Steve Alford nailed a bunch of 3s, Smart hit a big basket before his game-winner to cut the lead to 1. Freshman Derrick Coleman missed the front end of a 1-1 that left the door open for Smart to hit the game-winner.
Another moment that really stands out for me is from 1993, when Cal behind Jason Kidd knocked out Duke in the second round of the tournament. Duke had been to five straight final fours, won back-to-back championships. And you either love duke, or hate them, and I have always rooted against them for as long as I can remember watching college basketball. One more that I always remember is from that same season - Michigan behind Chris Webber and the Fab Five beating Kentucky behind Jamal Mashburn in OT in the Final Four. Looking back, it may have been better for Mich and Webber had they lost that game, and the timeout against UNC never would have been called.
from 3 months ago
Stew,
Great post! This is exactly the type of stuff I was hoping people would post. Those epic "moments" that -whether you're a fan of the team or not- seem to solidify your love for the tourney or at least a defining moment in your sports fandom. haha I guess I should have known that some of these posts would be heartbreakers for me (including my own first post), but this one hurts. Here it is, the Keith Smart game-winner to beat Syracuse in the '87 Championship:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dgkmikdVM8
Also, a pure classic in Kidd knocking out Duke back in '93:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1pxB35Y-5s
Highlights and postgame commentary by Coach K
3 months ago
#13 Valpo over #4 Miss 1998, Bryce Drew's triple try, I was at my college days job and accomplished absolutely nothing that day. Bryce Drew even got drafted by the Rockets and he can thank a single shot for that terrible decision courtesy of the Rockets front office. I wonder if the same brain trust picked up Ming Yao.
#15 Santa Clara over #2 Zona 1993, awesome gaem, my brother and I had the tube muted so we wouldn't get busted watching hoops well past our 9pm bedtime.
Growing up a Wolverine fan I have to give the top nod to the Fab Five's back-to-back championship game beatdowns. Their seasons together bring back great memories (Air Max kicks and black nike swoosh socks) too bad they couldn't win the big one, but I can be thankful those loses along with those seasons have been erased from the history books.
from 3 months ago
Great picks Chris!
Valpo over Miss '98:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Impx-uPmoEA
Santa Clara over 'Zona '93:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcOgTGRw5CQ
Not a great video, but a good look back at the celebration on campus (and a very random splicing of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as a bonus)
And since Chris is my brother-in-law and has absolutely horrible taste in sports teams (except for the superstar lineup that the Tigers will be rolling out in a few days), I had to add this clip for his Fab Five memories (one I'm sure he could playback easily in his head, but it's just not as fun for me):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH1ujxNwrkA
3 months ago
Well being a Duke fan and all, I would say the Christian Laettner shot in 1992 would be my favorite moment.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=christian%20laettner&search=Search&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&spell=1
from 3 months ago
Michael,
As one of the many Duke-haters on Bleacher Report, I have to admit that's one of the all-time greatest. There's a big reason that everyone hates Duke... because our own teams can never seem to put together the consistency that Duke has enjoyed for so many years. The bastards make it look so damn easy! Thanks for the clip!
3 months ago
1990 - My wife and I had just brought home our first daughter from the hospital. Couple hours later - Laettner canned his first buzzer beater as Duke beat UConn to advance to the Final Four. Even though our infant was sleeping in the next room, I could not suppress myself. Yeah I woke the daughter. She got over it. She too loves the Blue Devils to this day.
from 3 months ago
Awesome story Paul. In retrospect, it was probably a small price to pay. Don't you love how sports can become a sort of timeline to life's great milestones? Almost makes me want to join you as a Blue Devils fan... almost
3 months ago
My favorite memory from the tournament actually comes from the women's tourney in 2000. My college, tiny little Saint Francis in Loretto, PA, a college with just 1200 students, made it to the tournament AGAIN (they made it something like 9 out of 10 years)! This time we were the highest seed we'd ever been...14...and we were up against Iowa State. I got to travel along and be the mascot, a Franciscan Friar named Frankie, while my friend Bob broadcast the game back to campus. Though we lost that game 92-63, it doesn't matter! There aren't any amazing plays to talk about, but my college made it to the NCAA tournament & I was there!! Just the feeling and excitement of being part of that was absolutely amazing! I will love March Madness forever because of the hopes all of those little, lesser known teams have when they go up against the big dogs...and the fact that some of them do prevail!
from 3 months ago
Kerrie,
It's great to have a highlight from the women's tourney! All too often these great moments fade into the background due to the lesser coverage given to the great women's teams throughout the years. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any highlights from this game (or the team that year). If anyone else is able to, please go ahead and post it... I'll be very impressed!
3 months ago
I am not much of a basketball fan, therefore march madness represents almost the entirety of my basketball watching year. I also grew up in State College, PA, so NCAA tourney highlights for me - and Penn State - are few and far between.
I would say my lasting memory of the tourney occurred in 2006 when UAlbany as the 16 seed gave UNC, the number 1 seed a scare. I was celebrating St. Patty's Day at the Parting Glass, a huge Irish pub in Saratoga Springs, NY. They had numerous TVs on with the game and their was a sizable UAlbany alumni contingent. it was a great day of Guinness, live Irish music, and having the chance to watch the potential upset with numerous alums. The entire bar was pulling for the hometown team and I relished the chance to be a part of a group that was living and dying with ever basket and turnover. LIke I said earlier, I haven't really had this type of experience with basketball and though they didn't win, it was incredibly exciting to be a part of.
To also reference App. st. over Michigan, that was part of my best day ever as a sports fan. The vast majority of my family went to Penn State and my step dad is an OSU alum. Needless to say the hatred for Michigan runs deep. That glorious Saturday, i was in Boston with tickets to a Sox game and was walking from the Prudential Center to Fenway with a buddy from home when he noticed a hundred dollar bill on the ground. He looked around, saw no one near and grabbed it up. Sweet, drinks and lunch are free that day! We go into the Cask and Flagon and catch the end of the Michigan game. There were numerous tables of Michigan fans and one crazy App St. alum in an App. St. shirt. This guy is having a heart attack and the entire bar is pulling for the upset. Michigan lines up for the kick, it is blocked! and the bar goes nuts! Everyone was patting him on the back and buying him drinks. The Michigan fans bolted before anyone new what happened. After finding a hundred dollar bill on the ground and then watching my most hated college team lose to a Div 1. AA school, we then crossed the street to fenway and watched Clay Buchholz toss a no-hitter. Amazing day for sports and i watched the ESPN highlights of both about 30 times over the course of the next two days.
from 3 months ago
It was UConn that Albany nearly beat, not UNC. I was in a sports bar in Boulder, CO, and the later the game went, the more attention everyone gave to the game. I remember two or three guys wearing UConn sweatshirts, looking absolutely appalled, while everyone else was quickly jumping on the Albany bandwagon, especially when they went up 10 with 10 minutes to play. Sadly, UConn came back and ended the dream.
Of course, three games later, George Mason beat UConn. :)
3 months ago
Wow... amazing how the same sports events can create exceptionally different experiences for people. Geoff and I work together and I called him after my plane got in this same day. Earlier my girlfriend at the time picked me up at the airport and offered to buy us Red Sox tickets to see Clay Buchholz's second game. I had just arrived back from a two week business trip in southeast Asia (where I was taken against my will by my cabbie and mugged in India along the way) and spent the last 25 hours wide awake on my flight back with food poisoning. I said "No thanks I'd rather just relax and grab a bite to eat." We had already seen Buchholz's first start the day before I left for Asia and I doubted he would top such a great debut.
My girlfriend lived in the Boston neighborhood of Fenway, so we walked to a bar and grill across the street from the stadium. Around the 5th inning was when I called Geoff and carefully said, "Man! I'm across the street from Fenway watching a great game from Buchholz..." Hinting at more than I was saying, hoping he was watching the game.
Geoff replies, "Yeah man... I'm at the stadium. I can't believe it!"
The rest is history... Buchholz became only the third pitcher since 1900 to pitch a no hitter in his first two games as a pro, Geoff saw one of the greatest Red Sox games of his lifetime, and I ended up settling for tickets to a comedy club where a drunk Dane "This is October" Cook showed up unannounced to give a performance after bragging about his own experience at the game.
Bottom line... if someone offers you free tickets to one of your favorite teams... don't be a jackass, just go!
from 3 months ago
Sorry about the tangent there... I couldn't help myself. You guys (and gals) know how it is I'm sure, being fellow sports junkies and all.
Anyway, in response to Geoff's Albany v. UNC moment, I can attest that this was truly amazing and exciting. Being in Albany for this was unlike any other moment since I've lived in upstate New York. It wasn't like when everyone half-assed it and pretended to be Giants fans a week before the Superbowl because...well... Jets fans hate the Patriots. Instead, there was something in the air, the whole place was wild. Myself and some coworkers were lucky to find seats at the third restaurant we tried to go to for tipoff.
If you missed this game, it was a perfect advertisement for why you should never skip watching 16-vs.-1 matchup in March: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKJZr5KKrbI
3 months ago
Most if not all of the foregoing comments concerned relatively recent NCAA tournament games. Now to mention some games for the old timers.
I did not see the 1957 NCAA Championship game between Kansas and North Carolina but have read about it. The game went into three--count them, three--overtimes before North Carolina prevailed, 54-53. UNC won despite the fact that KU had the fabled great center, Wilt Chamberlain. At the beginning of the game, UNC's coach, Frank McGuire, had his shortest player jump center against the seven foot Chamberlain. Talk about temerity!
What made the triple overtime victory even more astounding is the fact that UNC had also won the semi-final game in triple overtime!
According to Frank Deford, in an article in a book entitled March Madness, no more than three or four photographers were on the floor during the game and there was only one television feed--back to North Carolina. According to Deford, Sports Illustrated devoted only one page to the game.
As an Arizona fan my favorite moment was when the Wildcats defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in overtime, 84 to 79, in the 1997 NCAA Championship game that sports writer John Feinstein has called "spellbinding." Although Mike Bibby was the team's point guard, the team's leader was Miles Simon. When, at the end of the game, a TV commentator said "Simon says . . . Championship" chills ran down my spine and the spine of every other long suffering Arizona fan.
3 months ago
As a Tennessee fan I don't have a lot of great March Madness moments. Lofton's shot a couple of years ago to beat Winthrop was awesome, but it loses a little luster when it's a 2 seed struggling over a 15. But isn't that what the Tournament is all about?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LRyKr-fV7s&feature=related
I think one of my favorite moments was watching George Mason beat Connecticut in 2006. I remember watching that just thinking there was NO WAY an 11 seed could make the final four. Not a chance. Once UConn forced overtime I thought for sure they would pull it out. I don't often find myself rooting that hard in other teams' games, but in this one I was rooting hardcore for George Mason.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGHQ6xpnahI
from 3 months ago
Chris,
Just because you get the seed, it doesn't guarantee a win. The way I see it, every March Madness game is a coin-flip at the beginning, otherwise there'd be no point in all of us watching in the first place. That's a great shot and would be one of my favorites if it wasn't for the blatantly obvious travel that it took to get the shot off. But then again, that's the refs' job to catch the travel so I can't really hold it against Lofton too much.
Great links, thanks for adding to the discussion Chris.
3 months ago
Did anyone watch the WVU/ Wake Forest second round game two years ago, I think it was. I was in a bar at a ski resort just hoping my school, WVU doesn't get embarassed by the top seeded Wake Forest. They got us down by 20 and then Pittsnoggle, Gansey, Beilein, Collins, and Frank Young made a remarkable comeback and WVU won. SI rated it as one of the best games ever. I get chills thinking about it. Russ
from 3 months ago
So true, I still get chills thinking about this game. Someone did an excellent job of catching a lot of the excitement of this game by posting the essential highlights together on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UU_PQlGG-0
Thanks for the submission!
3 months ago
Coach Jim Valvano running onto the court after NCST beat Houstan 54-52.
nuff said
from 3 months ago
Cameron.... THANK YOU! I was waiting for this post and I was afraid it wasn't going to come. Obviously this was one of the first ones I wanted to add myself, but I was hoping that somebody would chime in with it (seeing how I was born a few months after this game). Anyway, if you don't know what Cameron's talking about, you don't know March Madness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQ6JZpjdTY
Also, for anyone who hasn't seen Jimmy V's ESPY speech a decade after the game, you absolutely need to watch and rewatch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePXlkqkFH6s
3 months ago
This year when the Badgers make the Final Four.
Most college student never get the opportunity to watch their school win a major tourney in their four (or 5 years) in college. Going to the Frozen Four and watching the Badgers win was an incredible site, haters can be jealous but College Hockey goes before Women's Basketball in my book.
But I just booked my flight to San Antonio with a hotel. Looked into the cancellation policy and prepared to take a hit in the case the Badgers don't make it, but I'm not to concerned. The Badgers have beat 2 of the 3 teams Kansas has lost to this year (Kansas State and Texas in Austin).
So I'll have to look into the future and say that the Badgers 2nd game this weekend against Kansas should be a triller to watch in the bars in downtown Madison will be my favorite March Madness Moment.
from 2 months ago
Stephen Curry?
3 months ago
UCLA vs. Gonzaga a couple years ago when UCLA scraped out a victory and Adam Morrison cried on the court. I'm not all that enamored with the whole Morrison crying saga, but this game brought out the most emotion from Gus Johnson by far - and really, that's all you can ask for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgeqrYxu_YM
3 months ago
UCLA vs. Gonzaga a couple years ago when UCLA scraped out a victory and Adam Morrison cried on the court. I'm not all that enamored with the whole Morrison crying saga, but this game brought out the most emotion from Gus Johnson by far - and really, that's all you can ask for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgeqrYxu_YM
from 3 months ago
I'm so glad you made this post, I had been looking for a clip of the end of the game for about a week. I searched for everything from the team names, year, region, to "Adam Morrison crying" and came up with nothing.
I should have remembered Gus Johnson as a defining characteristic of the game, but didn't make the connection.
So, you unintentionally ended my search - thanks!
3 months ago
Without a doubt, West Virginia beating Duke. It may not have been that great, but to me it was, for various reasons. lol
3 months ago
Maryland's 2002 NCAA Championship Run! I don't think a team will ever come close to the quality basketball played by Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, and Lonnie Baxter! Those guys are probably three of the greatest college basketball players to ever play the game! Plus Gary Williams is probably in the NCAA top 15 all time coaches.
from 3 months ago
HELL YEAH!!!
GO MIKE, Fear the TURTLE!!!!!!!!!
from 3 months ago
The next year, Maryland provided one of my most heart-breaking moments when UNC-Wilmington played the defending champs close all game in the First Round, and then went ahead with just a few seconds. Maryland came down and threw up a prayer... and it went in. It was crushing for UNCW.
3 months ago
1995 Mizzou vs. UCLA in the elite 8. Tyrus edney went the lenght of the floor on nan inbound pass to beat the tigers. a little piece of me died when that happened.
It still does hurt: http://youtube.com/watch?v=pHceOvR464s&feature=related
3 months ago
1994 National Championship, Scotty Thurman hitting the big three point shot that clinched Arkansas' first national championship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 months ago
Great topic. I havea couple to add.
#9 URI over #1 Kansas, 2nd round, 1998, Oklahoma City.
Kansas was the best team in the country, had two All Americans (Pierce & LaFrentz) and had just rolled over some SWAC team in the first round. Rhode Island had Jim Harrick as coach and a bunch of hard working players (Mobley, Wheeler, Reynolds, Clay, Murphy, King, etc) and one promising young radio voice (me). This is probably one of the top games I ever attended. Mobley and Wheeler were out of their minds, and combined for like 50+ points in the game. URI upsets the top team in the tournament. (I also saw Drew's shot for Valpo since it was at my regional, a great moment).
After this game, URI goes on to beat Valpo in the Sweet 16 before losing to Stanford in the Midwest Regional final. The Rams had a lead with 59 seconds left and lost it, thanks in large part to a non-foul call against Stanford on Mobley that led to a turnover and that idiot Madsen dunking the ball. I hate Stanford.
Another moment is from the A-10 Tournament the following year. URI, down 1 in the closing seconds, gets the ball to star Lamar Odom, who drives down the left sideline, stops in front of Harrick and the URI bench, and drains a 3 at the buzzer to beat Temple and give the Rams the A-10 title. Of course, this team went on to lose to UNC-Charlotte in the first round.
3 months ago
two moments, one serious, one silly...
serious - watching Arizona win the national title in '98 (???) with my grandfather in Las Vegas who was a Zona fan and was literallly on his death bed. One of those trips where you knew going in that it was the last time to see him alive. No one in my immediate family comes close to my love of sports so to have two hours to sit next to him and watch his team win, well, you just don't beat that.
silly - I'm a Hokie through and through, thus NCAA basketball highlights...hardly. Now, if you are talking about the NIT, well then, we've got something to brag about! my senior year, last game at home, winner goes to the Garden, 5 juniors who would go on to give #1 Kentucky all they could handle the next year in NCAA's, playing New Mexico (it's the NIT, back off). we're ahead all game, fall behind late, come down, need 2 to tie, ball goes around to out 6' 9" stiff country white boy center who always-loved-the-three-point-shot-but-never-made-it (no Travis, please! don't shoot it!) he chucks it up and by the Gods, it goes in. My buddy looks at me in shock, I yell "get to the floor", we lay out the stupid freshman in the aisle seat who was jumping up and down and I think my feat hit the ground 4-5 times as the sea of people going down carried me to the floor. there's something to be said for the home environment in the NIT if the fans care, tops the generic NCAA environment in the early rounds at the arenas.
go find a clip of that one Andy, circa '94, it's out there, I've seen it, happy hunting. - todd
from 3 months ago
Todd,
Per your request... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHE8yqYbHXQ
I can't view it because our IT department doesn't trust me enough to allow me to update Java... wonderful. But I'm certain it's what you're talking about.
Enjoy
3 months ago
Hands down -- 2005 First Round game between #13 Vermont and #4 Syracuse, who was considered a national title contender. My dear UVM had made the tournament three years running, but this year they actually had a legitimate shot. They played Nevada, UCLA, and Kansas close, had an RPI of 28, and ran through the conference, only to get a #13 seed and Syracuse. The beloved, long-time coach, Tom Brennan had already announced that he would retire at season's end. The two most-storied players in school history -- Sorrentine and Coppenrath -- were seniors.
I was in a bar in Banff, Canada, as part of a business trip, yelling like a madman (especially in the Canadians' eyes) as UVM kept it close. With the score tied, UVM's Mopa Njila drove the baseline and scored what seemed to be the game-winning basket with a few seconds left, but the referee (correctly) said that Mopa Njila stepped out of bounds. Overtime, and perhaps the gut-wrenching close to UVM's season.
But UVM kept it close, hung around, Mopa Njila hit a three, and then Sorrentine held the ball with about a minute left...
http://www.uvm.edu/~sportspr/mens_basketball/?Page=News&storyID=6158
2 months ago
lol at Mike...
Anyways, 2001, Duke vs. Arizona. Game close in the second half and Dunleavy hits three straight three's (and was fouled on the 4th).
Bottom! How sweet it is!
2 months ago
How about an hour ago... Mario Chalmers capping a comeback from down 9 points with 2 minutes left in regulation of the 2008 NCAA Championship with a twisting fadeaway three pointer to send the game to overtime where they would severely outplay a tired Memphis team. Although I still contend that it was the combination of the Jayhawks' superior defense all night (despite the ridiculous decision to switch to box-and-one when man-to-man was working all night) and Brandon Rush's all-around performance that gave the Jayhawks the chance to give Chalmers the shot that will gain him eternal fame.
Sure there have been better shots in March Madness, but very few where the stakes were so high!
2 months ago
Gonzaga-UCLA game 2006, Adam Morrison crying like a baby
And Gus Johnson:
"U-C-L-A! U-C-L-A! WHAT A GAME! WHAT A COMEBACK!"
from 2 months ago
Haha, thanks Zach! That's been a popular one!
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