Most Dramatic Moments of the Week

College basketball has been obviously dominating the sports landscape over the past week from a drama standpoint, so it's no surprise that the majority of this article is composed of March Madness highlights.

But the NHL and NBA are getting closer toward the playoffs, and games are heating up as a result. Overall, there's just been a ton of awesome sports action in the past week.

Here are the most dramatic moments from the past week in sports.

Notre Dame vs. Butler Thriller

In what was probably the best game of the first weekend of March Madness, Butler and Notre Dame fought to a bitter end that saw the Irish come out on top by a hair on Saturday.

The two teams were mostly neck and neck for most of the game, and Notre Dame tied it up late.

Pat Connaughton, playing in his school-record 137th game, came up with a clutch block on a last-second three-pointer that could have won the game for Butler.

Then in overtime, a series of big shots by the Fighting Irish put them out in front of Butler, and they held on for an emotional 67-64 victory.

N.C. State Shocks 'Nova

Villanova has been one of the best teams in the country all season, but there was a sense the Wildcats were in trouble right from the start against North Carolina State, which came out on fire Saturday and played a fantastic game for all 40 minutes.

The Wolfpack went into halftime up by four points, thanks in part to swarming defense and a cold Villanova team that went 8-of-28 from the field.

While 'Nova turned it up a little in the second half, N.C. State was there to match its every move, withstanding multiple pushes in the closing minutes to knock out the first No. 1 seed in this tourney.

El Clasico

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This past Sunday, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid faced off in one of the most anticipated matches of 2015 thus far, and they did not disappoint.

Jeremy Mathieu got the scoring started in the 19th minute for Barcelona, but none other than Cristiano Ronaldo was there to answer the bell for Real shortly after with a beauty of his own.

The two sides played back and forth at 1-1 with a few close calls, including a Gareth Bale goal that was disallowed due to offsides in the 40th minute.

But then Luis Suarez took a beautiful ball in stride at the top of the box and gently placed a shot home in the 56th minute to send the Barcelona fans into a frenzy and give his team a 2-1 lead that it would not relinquish. 

Louisville Escapes UC Irvine

UC Irvine is hardly known for basketball, but the team gave perennial powerhouse Louisville a run for its money Friday.

Irvine's Mamadou N'Diaye, a 7'6" center, was a force under the basket all game, scoring 12 points, grabbing five rebounds and altering a number of shots from Louisville.

The Cardinals were never able to get into a rhythm, and UC Irvine took them right down to the wire in the second half.

Quentin Snider went to the free-throw line with just 8.9 seconds left and the chance to put Louisville up. The freshman did his job and hit both shots, which ended up being the game-winners.

Nashville Wins in OT

The Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators may not play in the same conference, but there was a sense in the air Tuesday night that the two teams were vying to prove who was the best in the entire league.

Nashville got on the board first, but Montreal responded in the second period with two goals of its own. Ryan Ellis finally tied it up in the third period, and the two teams continued their heated play through the end of regulation.

Pekka Rinne stood on his head for most of the night and was the main reason the Preds were able to force overtime.

Rookie sensation Filip Forsberg scored the game-winner on a beautiful one-timer 1:54 into the extra period, giving Nashville the 3-2 victory.

Michigan State Knocks off UVA

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At this point, we should know not to bet against Tom Izzo, even when his team is the lower seed.

Michigan State seemed like it was in control all game, taking a 23-18 lead into halftime as it absolutely stifled Virginia's offense, which had struggled to score at times throughout the season and shot poorly again Sunday.

The Spartans continued wearing down UVA throughout the second half, coming up with a couple of clutch shots and big stops on the defensive end to knock the Cavaliers out of the tournament for the second straight year by a score of 70-63.

Bucks Buzzer-Beater

The Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks are hardly rivals, but they sure looked like it on Monday night as Khris Middleton did his best March Madness impression.

The Heat jumped out to a big lead after outscoring the Bucks by 12 in the third quarter and looked comfortably ahead during the early minutes of the fourth quarter.

But Milwaukee fought back, closing the game on an 18-3 run. But it was the final seconds that made this game so dramatic.

Jerryd Bayless drove and missed a layup, which bounced around before Zaza Pachulia whipped the ball out to Middleton, who quickly fired off a three-pointer that went in just as the buzzer sounded to send the Bucks into a frenzied celebration.

Maryland Survives Valparaiso

Louisville wasn't the only fourth-seeded team to struggle Friday, as Valparaiso gave Maryland all it could handle.

The Terps went into halftime with a small lead but got outplayed and outscored by Valparaiso in the second half, which led to a crazy final two minutes.

Dez Wells converted a big three-point play for the Terps with about 1:41 left, and then each team clamped down on defense.

But on Valparaiso's last possession, it couldn't even get a shot off, as former walk-on Varun Ram swiped the ball and sent the Terps to the next round. Maryland won 65-62, only to lose to West Virginia two days later, 69-59.