Ranking the Most Memorable NCAA Tournament Games of the Past Decade
Caught up in the madness of March, we far too frequently label NCAA tournament games as "one of the best of the past decade" without ever actually considering which games belong where on that list.
Mired in the doldrums of the offseason, however, is perhaps the perfect time to survey the landscape of the past 10 tournaments to mathematically rank the 20 most memorable games in recent history.
After scanning the tournaments and trimming the field of more than 650 games down to the top 75, the remaining games were given a grade from 0-11 in five categories:
- (30 percent) Was it exciting to watch? Not every close game got a high grade (San Diego State's 71-64 double-overtime win over Temple in 2011 was hardly watchable), but it had to be a close game in order to get high marks. As designed, no game in the top 25 scored lower than an eight in this category.
- (25 percent) How marketable was it? In other words, was it a game that the entire country couldn't wait to watch, or did most people only watch the ending? Kentucky vs. Louisville in the 2012 Final Four scored off the charts here. Baylor vs. Georgia State in 2015 was barely a blip on the radar.
- (20 percent) How much of an upset factor was there? Everyone loves a good David vs. Goliath battle. There were a handful of quality David vs. David games and even more Goliath vs. Goliath wars, but nothing from those latter categories scored well here.
- (15 percent) Was there a "One Shining Moment?" Nothing will ever compare to Christian Laettner's shot, but if there is a specific moment that immediately springs to mind when you reminisce on the game, it probably did well in this category.
- (10 percent) What were the stakes of the game? This was the only category that wasn't subjective. National championships are worth 10 points, Final Four games received an eight, Elite Eights were worth six, Sweet 16s counted for four, the round of 32 garnered two points and the round-of-64 games scored one each.
Due to the limitations of human memory, recency bias definitely played a small factor in these rankings. However, we ended up with at least one game from each of the past 10 tournaments, including two games from 2006 in the top 10. So hopefully this is a holistic view of the past decade of March Madness.
Fair warning: John Calipari was one of the head coaches in seven of our top 12 games. Whether you like the man or not, he sure has had some entertaining teams.
Honorable Mentions
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In addition to our top 20, there were six other games that came pretty close to making the cut.
Baylor vs. Georgia State (2015 round of 64)
Despite an obvious 11 in the "One Shining Moment" category—Ron Hunter falling off his stool will feature prominently in March Madness highlight reels for a long time—this game simply couldn't overcome the woeful grades in marketability or stakes.
However, it hopefully moved us one step closer to making the first Thursday of the tournament a national holiday. Way too many people were unable to watch this magical finish because of their nine-to-fives.
Kansas vs. Northern Iowa (2010 round of 32)
Arguably the most inexcusable omission from the list, this one also suffered from low stakes and poor marketability—what casual fan wanted to spend a Saturday evening watching the No. 1 overall seed destroy some plucky Missouri Valley school? But it didn't play out that way, as Ali Farokhmanesh drained perhaps the ballsiest three-pointer in NCAA tournament history to put an end to Kansas' hopes of a comeback.
Gonzaga vs. Wichita State (2013 round of 32)
Another case of a Missouri Valley school upending a No. 1 seed on the first weekend of the tournament, this ended up being the game that put Ron Baker and Wichita State on the map. But, once again, low stakes for what was only a moderately marketable game. Diehards devoured the matchup between a Cinderella team and a former one, but Spokane and Wichita aren't exactly the biggest viewing markets in the country.
Xavier vs. Kansas State (2010 Sweet 16)
I will eventually forget that this was an unbelievable two-on-two battle between Xavier's Tu Holloway and Jordan Crawford and Kansas State's Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente.
I will never forget that this double-overtime beauty was Gus Johnson's magnum opus. It has been more than five years, and I still get chills listening to Johnson call Crawford's deep, game-tying three-pointer at the end of the first overtime. But if you're one of those weirdos who doesn't love Johnson on the mic for college basketball, this maybe wasn't a pantheon game for you.
Syracuse vs. Wisconsin (2012 Sweet 16)
Despite an absurd 14-of-27 night from three-point range against Syracuse's 2-3 zone, the Badgers came up one point shy of knocking off a team that was ranked in the top five for the entire season. It was a pretty game—each team committed just six turnovers—but it simply didn't have any unforgettable moments.
Duke vs. Louisville (2013 Elite Eight)
It was very difficult to figure out how to rate this game. It had probably the most unforgettable moment of the past decade, but Kevin Ware's broken leg is something we wish we had never seen—particularly 100 times in slow-motion replay.
The game itself ended up being a Louisville blowout, and there wasn't much of an underdog factor between the No. 1 and No. 6 overall seeds. Thus, the game ended up missing the cut. But don't worry, Cardinals fans: We've got a different 2013 Louisville game near the top of the list.
20. Dunk City (2013)
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The Game: No. 2 Georgetown vs. No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast (2013 round of 64)
The Result: Florida Gulf Coast 78-68
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 1
Underdog Factor: 10
Shining Moment: 10
Stakes: 1
Total Score: 6.85
When the brackets came out, this was not a game that anyone marked down as a must-see affair. Though Georgetown had more than its fair share of issues with double-digit seeds in recent years, few gave so much as a second thought to picking the Hoyas to at least reach the round of 32.
But when Florida Gulf Coast took a two-point lead into the half and emerged from the intermission as Dunk City, this one rapidly evolved into one of those games where you're texting everyone you know to make sure they're watching the show.
Sherwood Brown and Bernard Thompson led the way with 24 and 23, respectively, but it was Brett Comer and Chase Fieler who delivered the unforgettable moment.
Once down by 19, the Hoyas had clawed back to make it a seven-point game with two minutes remaining. Everyone watching the game could feel the pressure mounting, but apparently Dunk City didn't get that memo. Comer coolly connected with Fieler on an ill-advised but unbelievable over-the-shoulder alley-oop.
Fieler inbounded the ball from under the opposite hoop and started his run up the sideline from Georgetown's free-throw line, as if it were a play they had drawn up to deliver a dagger in that exact situation. And in just their second season as a D-I program, the Eagles pulled off one of the most incredible upsets in tournament history.
19. Big East Brawl (2009)
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The Game: No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 3 Villanova (2009 Elite Eight)
The Result: Villanova 78-76
Watchability: 9
Marketability: 9
Underdog Factor: 1
Shining Moment: 8
Stakes: 6
Total Score: 6.95
Remember when the Big East was a juggernaut?
In 2009, the super conference earned three of the four No. 1 seeds and saw another two teams make the tournament as No. 3 seeds. Translation: The Big East had five of the 12 best teams/resumes in the country.
Not surprisingly, Villanova and Pittsburgh delivered quite the gem when they met up in Boston with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Villanova was the lower seed, but is anyone ever truly an underdog immediately after thrashing Duke by a 23-point margin in the Sweet 16? What's more, Villanova won by double digits in its only regular-season meeting with the Panthers. The Wildcats had no reason to be afraid of Pittsburgh, and it certainly showed in the way they played.
In typical, Big East fashion, it was a physical affair. Villanova finished the night with 25 made field goals and 24 personal fouls. But it was one of the smallest guys on either roster who delivered the final blow. Almost as an homage to Tyus Edney, Scottie Reynolds raced down the court and hit a game-winning floater in traffic with less than a second remaining.
Villanova was beaten soundly by North Carolina in the next round, but that was the last time Jay Wright's squad advanced to the Sweet 16, let alone the Final Four.
18. Frank the Tank (2014)
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The Game: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 2 Wisconsin (2014 Elite Eight)
The Result: Wisconsin 64-63 (OT)
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 10
Underdog Factor: 2
Shining Moment: 4
Stakes: 6
Total Score: 7.1
As far as back-and-forth battles go, this was one of the classics.
Arizona briefly opened up an eight-point lead in the first half, but neither team led by more than five at any point in the final 26 minutes and 45 seconds. The Badgers and Wildcats went blow for blow all night long, with Frank Kaminsky seeming to hit every shot that he took and Aaron Gordon seeming to grab every loose ball on the court.
Kaminsky was particularly phenomenal. He finished the night with 28 points and 11 rebounds and was responsible for eight of the 14 field goals that Wisconsin made after halftime. It cemented his legacy as Frank the Tank.
For all the excitement of the game, though, the most memorable "moment" was either Nick Johnson missing an open look as time expired, the eternal review that took place right before that final play happened or the atrocious offensive foul called on Johnson moments before that.
For 44 minutes and 56 seconds, this game was everything we could have possibly wanted and more. But those last four seconds might as well have been the final episode of Lost with how quickly and permanently they tarnished something so beautiful.
17. The Butler Does It Again (2011)
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The Game: No. 2 Florida vs. No. 8 Butler (2011 Elite Eight)
The Result: Butler 74-71 (OT)
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 4
Underdog Factor: 9
Shining Moment: 4
Stakes: 6
Total Score: 7.3
Without fail, there's always one Elite Eight game that simply doesn't have the curb appeal of the others. (Hello, Louisville vs. Michigan State in 2015.)
Much of that is due to a decreased interest by the time the Elite Eight rolls around. Whether your favorite team or alma mater has been eliminated or your bracket has been destroyed in anger, it becomes more difficult to invest in the third day of a second consecutive four-day weekend of the college basketball binge. It's a pretty simple application of the law of diminishing returns.
In 2011, we had two pairings of massive programs in Kentucky vs. North Carolina and Arizona vs. Connecticut. We had the ultimate upset story in No. 11 VCU looking to go from First Four to Final Four against No. 1 Kansas. And we had this early Saturday evening game between Butler and Florida.
Looking back, though, it was one heck of a game. The Bulldogs unbelievably advanced to their second consecutive Final Four on the back of Shelvin Mack's 27-point game. They did what virtually no team could do all season, frustrating and stifling both Erving Walker and Chandler Parsons to ultimately prevail in overtime.
And if you'll recall, it was a minor miracle that Butler even got in that situation to begin with. The Bulldogs survived a nail-biter against Old Dominion in their opening game and knocked off No. 1 seed Pittsburgh in one of the most bizarre closing sequences I can ever recall. How Brad Stevens never came to be known as "The Magician" for everything he accomplished from 2009-2011 is one of life's greatest mysteries.
But this simply wasn't a very highly anticipated game compared to the others taking place that weekend, and it didn't deliver any unforgettable moments—unless you count Mack mockingly doing the Gator chomp while cutting down the nets. It's an outstanding story for Butler and college basketball as a whole, though, and that was enough to sneak into the top 20.
16. Grayson Allen's Breakout Party (2015)
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The Game: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 1 Wisconsin (2015 National Championship)
The Result: Duke 68-63
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 10
Underdog Factor: 0
Shining Moment: 8
Stakes: 10
Total Score: 7.7
For this game to have scored so highly in four categories, yet rank outside the top 15, it was tempting to simply do away with the underdog component. But what is March Madness without Cinderella stories? Plus, the underdog factor is a big reason that the top 10 games ended up being top 10 games, so it had to stay.
Nevertheless, this game was incredibly fun to watch.
There were 16 lead changes and five ties as the No. 1 seeds took turns going on miniature runs. It wasn't the Duke vs. Kentucky national championship that 49 of the 50 states wanted to see, but the game was every bit as entertaining as that one might have been.
All of the pregame hoopla was about the battle between Frank Kaminsky and Jahlil Okafor, but it was Grayson Allen who stole the show with 16 points, hustle and acrobatics.
In one game, Allen scored twice as many points as he did in the months of December and January combined.
With Duke trailing by nine midway through the second half and Okafor saddled with three fouls, things were looking pretty grim for the Blue Devils. But Allen—by far the most unsung of Mike Krzyzewski's four freshmen all season long—scored eight straight Duke points to get back within striking distance. From there, the Blue Devils clamped down on defense and did just enough to get Coach K his fifth national championship.
15. Same State Strangers (2015)
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The Game: No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 7 Wichita State (2015 round of 32)
The Result: Wichita State 78-65
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 11
Underdog Factor: 5
Shining Moment: 5
Stakes: 2
Total Score: 7.7
For all the times that we complain about the final product of the NCAA selection committee, sometimes they get the pairings very, very right.
When the brackets were revealed and we saw Kansas and Wichita State on a round-of-32 collision course, it seemed too good to be true. Inevitably, Indiana would screw it up by upsetting Wichita State, right? Or, heck, even New Mexico State knocking off Kansas seemed more plausible than finally getting an in-state showdown that hadn't happened since before the vast majority of the players on either roster were born.
Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star did some inquiring into why the schools separated by just 161 miles never play each other. Plain and simple: It's not worth the risk for Kansas.
As Kansas head coach Bill Self told the Kansas City Star in late 2013, "This isn't knocking Wichita State, but if it was best for our program, I would reach out to them about scheduling them. But it's not."
Fortunately, the selection committee (and Indiana and New Mexico State) did what was in the best interest of the country and made the Jayhawks and Shockers square off in one of the most heavily anticipated early round games in tournament history.
Wichita State seized the moment and ran away with a pretty comfortable win.
The most memorable moment from this one? Fred VanVleet incidentally elbowing Perry Ellis in the face and sending him to the locker room with a bloody nose late in the first half.
Ellis would return just two minutes later, but it hardly seems like a coincidence that the win-probability chart took a major turn right around the time of that elbow. Kansas was leading by six and had Wichita State on its heels, but it's as if the Shockers turned into sharks when they saw that blood.
14. Blue Bloods from the Bluegrass State (2012)
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The Game: No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Louisville (2012 Final Four)
The Result: Kentucky 69-61
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 11
Underdog Factor: 1
Shining Moment: 7
Stakes: 8
Total Score: 7.8
Every year, there's a big argument over whether Kentucky vs. Louisville or Duke vs. North Carolina is the best rivalry in college basketball. But Duke and North Carolina have never faced each other in the NCAA tournament, leaving this Bluegrass showdown as one of the most hyped up rivalry games in tournament history.
It doesn't hurt that it was for a spot in the national championship game.
When these two teams met for their annual regular season game, it was Russ Smith vs. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. "Russdiculous" went for 30 off the bench, but MKG was even more unstoppable with 24 points and 19 rebounds. But neither one made much of an impact in the rematch, both failing to reach double figures in scoring.
Instead, it was The Brow who powered the Wildcats one step closer to a title. Anthony Davis had a run-of-the-mill (for him) 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks. Thanks in large part to his defensive presence, the Cardinals shot just 34.8 percent from the floor.
Because Louisville couldn't hit a shot, it wasn't a particularly exciting game for the first 30 minutes. Kentucky opened up a 10-point lead pretty quickly and did enough to keep the Cardinals at bay until midway through the second half.
Louisville finally clawed back and tied the game with nine minutes remaining, rewarding everyone who stuck around to watch what was billed to be the greatest game ever played. But Kentucky repelled the run and pushed back ahead in time for Kidd-Gilchrist's emphatic dunk with just over a minute remaining to serve as the exclamation point on the win.
13. The Law of Gus (2007)
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The Game: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Xavier (2007 Round of 32)
The Result: Ohio State 78-71 (OT)
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 6
Underdog Factor: 9
Shining Moment: 9
Stakes: 2
Total Score: 7.85
In November 2010, Bill Simmons coined the term "Law of Gus" to explain the phenomenon that led to Gus Johnson seeming to always be on the call for every crazy fourth-quarter situation in an NFL game.
But several years before his voice started swaying the outcome of professional football games, it was helping Ohio State put together an unlikely comeback against Xavier.
The Buckeyes trailed by nine with less than three minutes remaining. Greg Oden was saddled with four fouls. Shots simply weren't falling. And after a disappointing early exit from the 2006 NCAA tournament, it looked like Ohio State was headed for another letdown.
Then the Law of Gus kicked in.
Jamar Butler sank a three-pointer "from the parking lot." Mike Conley stole the inbounds pass, eventually leading to Ron Lewis' and-one to cut the lead to one. Justin Cage—a senior who led the Musketeers in made free throws on the season—missed a freebie that could have given Xavier a two-possession lead with under 10 seconds to go.
Lewis promptly came down and drained the game-tying three-pointer, and I'm still not entirely sure what Johnson yelled into the mic at that point. The game went into overtime, where Ohio State took control to cruise to victory.
This was a gem of a game with some great soundbites to boot. Not to mention, Ohio State was a No. 1 seed with the eventual No. 1 pick in that year's NBA draft. And the schools separated by just over 100 miles were playing in Lexington, Kentucky—a site less than three hours from both universities.
12. Jorts KOs Buckeyes (2011)
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The Game: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Kentucky (2011 Sweet 16)
The Result: Kentucky 62-60
Watchability: 9
Marketability: 10
Underdog Factor: 6
Shining Moment: 7
Stakes: 4
Total Score: 7.85
A few years before compiling so much talent as to necessitate a platoon system, Kentucky cobbled together a pretty good season with a six-man rotation of guys who each played at least 28 minutes per night: Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins and a big man who everyone simply knew as "Jorts."
That man was Josh Harrellson. He played a grand total of 88 minutes during the 2009-10 season but got a slight upgrade to 1,083 minutes as a senior. His overnight improvement was staggering, as he became the most efficient scorer on the team.
But he was no Jared Sullinger.
The 6'9" freshman forward averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for the Buckeyes, who entered the Sweet 16 with a 34-2 record. They opened the season with 24 consecutive wins—which was actually a pretty huge accomplishment before Wichita State and Kentucky really flirted with perfection these past two years.
In addition to Sullinger, they had Jon Diebler hitting 50.2 percent of his three-point attempts, Dallas Lauderdale making 73.3 percent of his two-point attempts, David Lighty and William Buford lighting up the scoreboard from everywhere on the court and some pesky kid named Aaron Craft.
They entered the tournament as the prohibitive favorites to win it all and remained as such after beating their first two opponents by an average margin of 30.5 points per game.
On this night, though, they couldn't contain Jorts.
Sullinger was an animal, finishing with 21 points and 16 rebounds. But Harrellson had 17 and 10, keeping the Wildcats in the game just long enough for Brandon Knight to answer Diebler's game-tying three-pointer with a game-winning jumper of his own.
Kentucky went on to reach the Final Four, despite three freshmen leading in scoring. That's completely commonplace today, but it hasn't even been a half-decade since pundits thought a title couldn't be won with one-and-done players. Boy were we stupid.
11. Davidson and Goliath (2008)
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The Game: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 10 Davidson (2008 Elite Eight)
The Result: Kansas 59-57
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 9
Underdog Factor: 10
Shining Moment: 2
Stakes: 6
Total Score: 8.15
Long before being named the 2015 NBA MVP, Stephen Curry was little more than Dell Curry's son at Davidson.
No one recruited him. No one knew anything about him.
Until the 2008 NCAA tournament, that is.
By that time, Curry was already a phenomenal player. He averaged 21.5 points per game as a freshman, including a 30-point performance against Greivis Vazquez and Maryland in the 2007 tournament. He entered the 2008 dance averaging 25.1 points per game.
But, come on, who had time to watch Davidson beat up on teams like Elon and Citadel for a 10th straight year? Aside from maybe seeing his name on the national leaderboards, most had never really seen Curry before his string of 40, 30 and 33 points against Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin, respectively.
When Kansas came a'knocking with its 34-3 record, Curry was already easily the best story of the tournament. But perhaps the second-best story was the potential of all four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA had already punched their tickets for the national semifinals, putting all of the pressure squarely on Kansas to hold serve.
At long last, the Jayhawks did just enough to keep Curry in check. He still scored 25 points, but it took him 25 shots to do so, as he was double-teamed all game long. When Davidson needed his heroics the most—down by two with the ball in the closing seconds—he was unable to get a shot off, forced to give up the ball to Jason Richards who missed a three-pointer that never had any chance of going in.
It wasn't quite the most memorable tournament game of the past decade, but Curry's undeniable allure resulted in the most memorable game in which neither team scored 60 points.
10. Super Mario (2008)
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The Game: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 1 Memphis (2008 national championship)
The Result: Kansas 75-68 (OT)
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 10
Underdog Factor: 2
Shining Moment: 9
Stakes: 10
Total Score: 8.25
Technically speaking, this game never happened. Memphis was forced to vacate the entire season for using an ineligible player, believed to be Derrick Rose. He was never officially named, but that's where all the signs pointed.
But regardless of whether the NCAA officially recognizes the game, we all know it was one of the 10 best tournament games of the past decade.
First off, this was the climax of a Final Four made up of nothing but No. 1 seeds. Memphis crushed UCLA and Kansas destroyed North Carolina in the national semifinals, but the championship game more than fulfilled expectations.
Plus, we had the historic quests for both teams.
Kansas was seeking to win a national championship on the 20th anniversary of its last one. Memphis had already set the all-time record for wins in a season with 38 and was looking to put a bow on a 39-1 year. Moreover, Memphis was trying to become the first national champion from a non-major conference since Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV Rebels took the title home to the Big West Conference in 1990.
Then, of course, there were the players involved. The Tigers had Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts for star power, while Kansas was led by Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur.
In the end, though, it all came down to an un-clutch free throw and a very clutch three-pointer.
Rose had a chance to put the game on ice, but he missed the first of two free throws, leaving the door open for Mario Chalmers to send it to overtime for the eventual win. And every coach in the country has added "Chop" to his playbook since then.
9. National Treasure (2006)
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The Game: No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 11 George Mason (2006 Elite Eight)
The Result: George Mason 86-84 (OT)
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 7
Underdog Factor: 10
Shining Moment: 7
Stakes: 6
Total Score: 8.4
Once upon a time, low seeds had no hope of advancing to the Final Four, and you could take it to the bank that at least one No. 1 seed would get that far.
From 1987 through 2005, only two teams seeded lower than a No. 6 advanced to the national semifinals, and they both came in 2000 when North Carolina and Wisconsin got there as No. 8 seeds. And by the time the 2006 tournament rolled around, there had been at least one No. 1 seed in 25 consecutive Final Fours.
George Mason helped eliminate both of those bracket-picking laws.
That the Patriots even received an invite to the tournament was a minor miracle in itself. Not only were they eliminated by Hofstra in the CAA semifinals, but Tony Skinn—the team's second-leading scorer—was suspended for the team's next game for punching an opponent in the groin. Even if George Mason received an at-large bid, it should have been a sitting duck for its first opponent.
Instead, the Patriots got in as a No. 11 seed, beat Michigan State by double digits, took care of North Carolina to reach the Sweet 16 and dispatched Wichita State to meet Connecticut in the Elite Eight.
Connecticut was ranked in the top four of the AP poll for the entire season. Led by Rudy Gay, Rashad Anderson and Marcus Williams, the Huskies were incredibly efficient on offense. Anchored by Hilton Armstrong and Josh Boone in the paint, they were also one of the best defensive teams in the nation.
This should have been a bloodbath.
Yet, Mason fought back from a nine-point halftime deficit to force overtime, finishing the game shooting 50.0 percent both from the field and from beyond the arc. They had just enough stones in their slingshot to take down the giant in an exhilarating, high-scoring affair.
8. 'Cats Get Their Revenge (2012)
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The Game: No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Indiana (2012 Sweet 16)
The Result: Kentucky 102-90
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 11
Underdog Factor: 10
Shining Moment: 2
Stakes: 4
Total Score: 8.45
For much of the 2014-15 season, I was asked if Kentucky was the greatest team of all time. My response was always that the 2015 Wildcats would probably lose a seven-game series to the 2012 Wildcats.
Because were it not for Christian Watford and Indiana, those Wildcats would have flirted with 40-0, too.
Kentucky entered that year's SEC tournament with a 30-1 record. The single blemish came at Assembly Hall back in mid-December. Indiana led for much of the game, but the Wildcats made a late comeback merely to set up Watford's game-winning dagger.
Keep in mind, Indiana had been a train wreck over the previous few seasons. In the wake of Kelvin Sampson's scandal, the Hoosiers went 28-66 in Tom Crean's first three years. Though they opened the 2011-12 season with eight straight wins, no one really expected them to knock off Kentucky.
But they did. And when the two schools met for a second time in the Sweet 16, Indiana was viewed by many as the last hope of stopping the runaway train that was Kentucky.
Though the Hoosiers scored a ton of points, they couldn't do anything to slow down the Wildcats. Five players scored in double figures for Kentucky, and Anthony Davis wasn't even one of them, thanks to early foul trouble. There weren't any particular moments that stand out in hindsight, but this was just a fun, up-tempo game full of players giving a 110 percent effort.
7. Trey's Deep, Deep Trey
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The Game: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 4 Michigan (2013 Sweet 16)
The Result: Michigan 87-85 (OT)
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 9
Underdog Factor: 8
Shining Moment: 9
Stakes: 4
Total Score: 8.6
This one had pretty much everything you could want from a tournament game.
Both Kansas and Michigan have a deep-rooted tournament history. The underdog made a huge comeback. A breakout player had a breakout game. And one of the biggest stars in the country hit one of the biggest shots of the season.
However, it certainly didn't look like this was going to be a memorable game. Trey Burke was scoreless at halftime. Kansas took the lead five minutes into the game and didn't give it back en route to a 14-point lead with less than seven minutes remaining. The Jayhawks made 60.0 percent of their two-point field goals and seemed like a team that couldn't possibly be caught.
But Burke had 23 points between the second half and overtime, including a ridiculously deep, game-tying three-pointer with just seconds remaining in regulation.
That shot was the lasting image, but this was simultaneously the most important game of Mitch McGary's career. It was one thing to put up 21 and 14 points, respectively, against VCU's poor excuse for a frontcourt, but 25 points and 14 rebounds against Jeff Withey and Kevin Young was a notice to the world that McGary could dominate against anyone in the country.
Without his work in the paint, this game would have been over long before Burke ever had a chance to do something magical. And because of this game, he was a preseason All-American the following year and was taken with the 21st pick in the 2014 draft despite playing just eight games as a sophomore with back problems and a failed drug test.
6. The Crying Game
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The Game: No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 3 Gonzaga (2006 Sweet 16)
The Result: UCLA 73-71
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 8
Underdog Factor: 9
Shining Moment: 10
Stakes: 4
Total Score: 8.7
Every single year, dozens of players cry.
Some break down on the bench when they realize the game is out of reach and their season or career is finished. Others are able to hold it in until the locker room or the postgame press conference. But without fail, we see plenty of tears throughout the month of March.
However, Adam Morrison's meltdown remains the standard against which all emotional collapses are gauged.
It was the perfect storm. Gonzaga had failed to advance beyond the round of 32 in the previous four seasons, so we already knew this team was kind of cursed. The Bulldogs had the national leader in scoring average, and everyone was beyond fed up with hearing about both Morrison and J.J. Redick. Gonzaga led UCLA by 17 points in the first half before gradually squandering that huge lead.
Yet, the Bulldogs merely needed to not screw up down the stretch to at least force overtime.
And then it all came unraveling in such a hurry that Morrison couldn't even wait until the game was over to start getting some dust in his eyes. When the final buzzer rang out, he dropped to the ground for an image we'll never forget.
For my money, no basketball moment will ever be more heart wrenching than watching Darius Washington Jr. crumple to the floor in the 2005 C-USA championship game. However, that game didn't have nearly the national significance of Morrison's failed attempt to lead his squad to the Elite Eight.
At least he went on to win two NBA championships.
5. Still Undefeated (2015)
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The Game: No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (2015 Elite Eight)
The Result: Kentucky 68-66
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 10
Underdog Factor: 9
Shining Moment: 8
Stakes: 6
Total Score: 9.1
After Kentucky absolutely throttled West Virginia in the Sweet 16, it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before the Wildcats finished off their perfect season. But it was just two nights later that they were in the fight of their lives against Notre Dame.
Save for a 20-second stretch in which the Fighting Irish held a six-point lead, neither team led by more than five points in the entire game. There were 17 lead changes and 11 ties. It was the type of game where you couldn't avert your eyes for a single second, because each and every one felt so important.
When push came to shove, Kentucky went to Karl-Anthony Towns. As seemed to be the case all season long, he was playing with four fouls for the final few minutes, but it didn't stop him from finishing the night with 25 points—17 of which came in the second half. The much-discussed platoon system rapidly devolved into "Get Towns the ball because no one else can do anything with it tonight."
And it was just barely enough. Grant had a shot from the corner to win the game for Notre Dame as time expired, but he pushed it long and allowed Kentucky to improve to 38-0.
That quest for perfection is what made this game only that much more exciting. Whether you wanted to see a team go undefeated for the first time in nearly 40 years or whether you wanted to see Kentucky go down in flames, you had a huge rooting interest in this one, regardless of what team your bracket demanded you cheer for. And it certainly isn't the last game on the list with that type of historical background.
4. Hayward's Wayward Heave
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The Game: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Butler (2010 National Championship)
The Result: Duke 61-59
Watchability: 8
Marketability: 9
Underdog Factor: 10
Shining Moment: 10
Stakes: 10
Total Score: 9.15
They say football is a game of inches, but imagine if Gordon Hayward's half-court shot had been a couple inches to the left.
We've encountered some incredible David vs. Goliath games—Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown and George Mason vs. Connecticut, in particular—but this was arguably the biggest of them all.
In the one corner, you had the team that has seemingly been a high seed in every tournament and ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll in every week since you were born. Duke isn't the winningest program in NCAA history, but no college basketball team more resembles the New York Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys in terms of the amount of joy felt by fans of every other team when they are eliminated from the postseason.
In the other corner, you had Butler.
Just by being in that game, the Bulldogs were making school history. Heck, they made history several rounds prior to the national championship, because they had never advanced beyond the Sweet 16 before.
They finished the season ranked No. 11 in the country. They earned a No. 5 seed. But they may as well have been an unranked No. 16 seed trying to keep Duke from its fourth national championship in two decades. They were the ultimate underdog.
But that was just pregame hype. On the court, Duke and Butler were equals in seemingly every way. In the end, they were separated by a fraction of a degree on the angle of a 45-foot shot. Butler was that close to becoming the most improbable national champion since Villanova in 1985.
Instead, it added another ring to Mike Krzyzewski's collection.
3. Cool Hand Luke
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The Game: No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 Michigan (2013 National Championship)
The Result: Louisville 82-76
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 10
Underdog Factor: 9
Shining Moment: 6
Stakes: 10
Total Score: 9.2
Trey Burke vs. Russ Smith?
Nah. Try Spike Albrecht vs. Luke Hancock. Burke did have a very good game for the Wolverines, but it was the sixth men who stole the show in this one.
Then a freshman, Albrecht hadn't scored more than seven points in a game to that point in his collegiate career. Naturally, while Burke sat out most of the first half with foul trouble, Albrecht scored 17 points in a span of 11 minutes, leading Michigan to a 12-point lead against the No. 1 overall seed.
But just as quickly as Albrecht gave Michigan the lead, Hancock took it back for Louisville. He scored 14 consecutive points for the Cardinals—two free throws and four three-pointers—turning a 33-21 deficit into a 37-36 lead in a little over three minutes.
Smith never really showed up that night, but Chane Behanan had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone, picking up where Hancock left off to lead the Cardinals to victory.
As a result of the championship, Rick Pitino got some ink.
2. 38-and-Done
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The Game: No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Wisconsin (2015 Final Four)
The Result: Wisconsin 71-64
Watchability: 10
Marketability: 11
Underdog Factor: 10
Shining Moment: 6
Stakes: 8
Total Score: 9.25
Kentucky vs. Notre Dame in the Elite Eight was perhaps a slightly more exciting game, but this Final Four battle between the Wildcats and Badgers had greater stakes and 10 times the hype.
We had nearly an entire week to debate this game, picking it apart piece by piece to try to figure out whether Kentucky would play for an undefeated national championship or whether Wisconsin would exact revenge for the Final Four loss to the Wildcats the previous year.
In no way did the game disappoint. Frank Kaminsky had a double-double. Karl-Anthony Towns came a rebound away from doing the same. Wisconsin's insanely efficient offense caught fire early in the second, half as the Badgers scored 16 points in less than five minutes. Then Kentucky's insanely efficient defense showed up, holding Wisconsin to just four points for the next 10 minutes.
Whether Wisconsin won the game or Kentucky lost it depends on your perspective, but Sam Dekker's step-back three-pointer to break a tie in the final two minutes was downright cold-blooded no matter your point of view.
The Wildcats had an unbelievable season. You'd be hard-pressed to argue that it wasn't the best season in more than two decades. But Wisconsin was the better team on an incredibly memorable night.
1. Shocking the Shockers
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The Game: No. 1 Wichita State vs. No. 8 Kentucky (2014 round of 32)
The Result: Kentucky 78-76
Watchability: 11
Marketability: 10
Underdog Factor: 10
Shining Moment: 9
Stakes: 2
Total Score: 9.35
One year prior to Kentucky's quest for perfection, it was the Wildcats who put an end to (what was then) the longest single-season winning streak in men's college basketball history.
The historic significance took a backseat to the contest itself, though, as this ended up being one of the greatest college basketball games ever played.
It didn't have the stakes of a Final Four or national championship game, but it certainly felt like one as the Shockers and Wildcats went back-and-forth and back again from the opening tip. I had no rooting interest in the game, yet my heart was beating out of my chest for just about the entire second half. The game was simply that intense.
Aaron Harrison had more than his fair share of late-game theatrics in the 2014 tournament, but none of those moments ever would have transpired if Andrew Harrison hadn't led the way against Wichita State. He led the Wildcats with 20 points, including five made free throws in the final four minutes.
It was just barely enough to keep Cleanthony Early's 31 points at bay as Fred VanVleet's attempted buzzer-beater clanked off the rim to hand the Shockers their first and last loss of the season.
Every now and then, a moment comes along, and you remember exactly where you were when it happened.
This entire game was one of those moments.
Stats are courtesy of KenPom.com, unless noted otherwise.
Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.
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