Best March Madness Moments of All-Time
March Madness is arguably right up there with MLB’s Opening Day as the most prominent rite of spring on the sports and sports betting calendar, and this year’s edition of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is right around the corner.
Selections will take place on Sunday, March 15, while the tipoff of the First Four kicks off a multi-week extravaganza that runs through the NCAA Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Monday, April 6.
Naturally, with such high stakes attached to the single-elimination tournament, there will undoubtedly once again be a number of unpredictable and unforgettable moments in this year’s proceedings.
With the action fast approaching, a look back at some of the most highlight-worthy moments of March Madnesses past is in order:
No. 10 – Florida Gulf Coast Reaches the Sweet 16 (2013)
Every Final Four has its Cinderellas, schools that make a mockery of odds and the normal order of things in the college basketball world to send shellshocked favorites packing. In 2013, Fort Myers-based Florida Gulf Coast – just 16 years in existence at that point – played the role to perfection.
FGCU got it done in style, as well, first toppling a Georgetown squad that included Otto Porter Jr. and was seeded No. 2 in the South region by a 78-68 score, a game where the Hoyas were subjected to a 21-2 second-half run that ultimately proved too much to overcome. Andy Enfield’s squad then chopped down San Diego State by an 81-71 margin, a victory that was aided by a commanding 17-0 run that propelled the Eagles to an insurmountable 71-52 advantage with just over four minutes to play.
FGCU ultimately saw the magic run out courtesy of a 62-50 loss to in-state rival Florida the following weekend in the Sweet 16, but not before making history as the first 15 to go that deep into the tournament.
No. 9 – Steph Curry Leads Davidson to Elite Eight (2008)
Younger fans have grown accustomed – maybe even weary – of seeing Steph Curry’s name rightfully associated with hardwood greatness, but as the old adage goes, “mighty oaks from little acorns grow.” The foundation for the global spotlight the prolific sharpshooter has earned
may have begun with his 2008 March Madness run as the leader of the aptly monikered Davidson squad’s battle versus multiple Goliaths in its March Madness path. The Wildcats opened as the No. 10 seed and shook off that slotting to ultimately knock off No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 2 Georgetown and No. 3 Wisconsin, before coming within a hair of shocking No. 1 seeded Kansas as well.
Curry would ultimately average 32.0 points over the four-game run while nearly carrying his underdog squad to a Final Four berth. He began by striking for a whopping 40 points – with 30 coming in the second half – in the comeback victory over Gonzaga, adding another 30 versus the Hoyas after the Wildcats were down 17 with just under 18 minutes remaining. A 33-point outburst against what had been the stingiest defense in the nation in that of the Badgers followed, a game that notably saw future NBA rival LeBron James taking it all in courtside.
Curry and teammates then went down like champions against the Jayhawks, falling by a 59-57 score in a game they had a chance to win with a desperation three-point heave by Jason Richards that couldn’t find the net. Curry poured in another 25 points on 25 shots, putting the finishing touches on the initial chapter of a legendary career.
No. 8 – Derrick Rose Misses Free Throw, Mario Chalmers Hits Game-Tying Shot (2008)
After getting through Curry and co. and then upending North Carolina in the Final Four, Kansas found its way to the National Championship Game in 2008 against an equally talented Memphis Tigers team. The matchup between the two juggernaut squads lived up to every bit of the hype, with the Jayhawks surging back from a nine-point deficit with 2:12 left in regulation. However, it’s how the game got into the extra period that particularly vaulted it into March Madness lore.
Memphis still led Kansas by three points with 10.8 seconds left. The Tigers’ Derrick Rose, who’d post an 83.1% success rate on free-throw attempts over his 15-year NBA career, missed one of his two shots from the line to prevent the Tigers from creating enough breathing room to truly separate. Mario Chalmers, who’s gone on to prove quite the knack for draining clutch shots everywhere from the NBA to the BIG3, then drilled a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining to force overtime.
That would prove to be the fuel that ignited the Jayhawks’ engine for the final stretch, as Kansas went on to outscore Memphis by a robust 12-5 margin in OT to take home the fifth national title in school history.
No. 7 – RJ Hunter Hits 3 to Beat Baylor, Dad (Coach) Falls Off Stool (2015)
The scoreboard at the end of a big upset is usually the centerpiece of a memorable March Madness story, but sometimes we’re treated to a good old fashioned “two-fer.” Such was the case when No. 14 Georgia State pulled the rug out from under No. 3 Baylor in the 2015 edition of the tournament. Sure, the Panthers’ 57-56 win over the Bears grabbed the headlines, but an accompanying moment that lives on in both school and Hunter family lore was a big part of the story.
Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter, who’d go on to be taken with the 28th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in that following June’s NBA Draft, had averaged an impressive 19.7 points that season to help lead the Panthers to a win in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and its first March Madness appearance since 2001. His father Ron Hunter had been the school’s head coach since 2011 and was restricted to an office stool on the sideline for the tournament after rupturing his Achilles tendon during a previous celebration. That injury teed up the more comical aspect of the memorable upset over Baylor.
R.J., who’d scored just four points in the game’s first 37 minutes, helped his team roar back from a 12-point deficit with less than three minutes remaining via a flurry of offense that culminated with his game-winning three-point shot at the 2.6-second mark. Not only would that ultimately prove to be the final dagger, but the elder Hunter, unable to contain his excitement, flew off his stool in the process, adding quite the visual and plenty of laughs to another memorable March Madness on-court moment.
No. 6 – Kris Jenkins Hits a 25-foot Championship Winning Shot (2016)
While plenty of the more notable March Madness snapshots involve lesser-known schools overcoming significant odds, the big names have naturally had their share of the spotlight as well. Kris Jenkins’ Villanova Wildcats are a good example of such in 2016, although in the
interest of accuracy, it’s important to point out their performance that year ignited what has been a subsequent run of more sustained success for the school.
Villanova did have one national title to its name already coming into that year’s tournament, but it had come in way back in 1985 when the Wildcats had run roughshod over several No. 1 and No. 2 seeds on the way to a narrow victory against Georgetown. A whopping 31 years later, the Wildcats got through UNC Asheville, Iowa, Miami, No. 1 overall seed Kansas and Oklahoma (by a Final Four-record 44-point margin) to get to the title game against North Carolina.
Jenkins, who’d averaged 13.6 points per game during the regular season, would go on to seal the school’s second title win at the end of a buzzer-to-buzzer battle. The forward hit a memorable three-pointer that snapped a 74-74 tie forged immediately prior by a critical long-range bucket from the Tar Heels’ Marcus Paige. Receiving a pass from Ryan Arcidiacono with just under two seconds remaining, Jenkins launched his game-winning shot for the championship game’s first buzzer-beater since 1983.
No. 5 – Tyus Edney Goes Coast-to-Coast to Win Game (1995)
UCLA’s Tyus Edney put together a productive career with the Bruins despite his very slight 150-poundish frame, and one of his signature traits, his speed, served as the pivotal factor in his memorable game-winning shot in the 1995 version of March Madness. Top-seeded UCLA faced off with No. 8-seeded Missouri in a second-round see-saw West Regional battle that saw Edney’s squad down by a single point with 4.8 seconds remaining.
Edney’s full-court jaunt to the basket would become the stuff of March Madness legend, as the diminutive guard showed zero hesitation in putting his team’s tournament destiny on his shoulders. Edney received the inbounds pass following the Tigers’ go-ahead basket and immediately began sprinting up the court, seamlessly transferring the ball just past the half court by deftly dribbling behind his back.
Edney would take a few more steps toward the basket before launching up a bank shot just before the buzzer that found the net, sending UCLA to the Sweet 16, and ultimately its 11th title.
No. 4 – Lorenzo Charles Upsets Houston (1983)
As alluded to earlier, Jenkins’ game-winning three in Villanova’s title win over North Carolina in 2016 snapped a 33-year drought of such plays in the NCAA Championship Game. North Carolina State’s Lorenzo Charles had been the last player to accomplish the feat, recording a thunderous dunk at the buzzer to allow Jim Valvano’s squad to get past the heavily favored Houston Cougars by a 54-52 score in 1983.
Charles’ ultra-timely dunk arose from his snag of teammate’s Dereck Whittenburg’s 30-foot shot attempt following a barrage of passes by North Carolina State on what would be the game’s final possession. Whittenburg had been able to find some rare space between him and a Cougars defender, albeit just a handful of feet from half-court, and put up a desperation heave that was clearly going to come up woefully short.
However, Charles’ positioning and awareness saved the day for the Wolfpack, setting up what would also be Valvano’s unforgettable “looking for someone to hug” moment in the wild postgame celebration.
No. 3 – UMBC Upsets Virginia in First 16-Seed Over 1-Seed Win (2018)
Yet another upset etched forever in the minds of college basketball enthusiasts is the UMBC Retrievers’ dispatching of Virginia in 2018. The unlikely victory carries a particularly prestigious distinction that sets it apart from similar scenarios – it was the first instance of a No. 16 seed eliminating a No. 1 overall seed.
The Retrievers came into March Madness with a 24-10 mark and had quite the historical stigma hanging over them as a No. 16. Teams with that slotting had gone 0-135 in tournament history, and UMBC was facing a Cavaliers squad that had allowed a stingy 54.0 points per game. However, all of the metrics proved irrelevant from virtually the opening tip, as the old “that’s why they play the games” adage came to bear in the most glaring manner possible.
UMBC didn’t just squeak by its superior opponent; it thoroughly dominated Virginia by a 74-54 score, scoring 53 points in the second half alone. The Retrievers shot a blistering 54%, including 50% from three-point range, while limiting the Cavs to shockingly poor 41% and 18% figures in those respective categories and also winning the rebounding battle by a 33-22 margin.
No. 2 – Saint Peter’s Reaches Elite Eight as 15-Seed (2022)
Undoubtedly drawing at least some inspiration from UMBC achieving the seemingly impossible four years earlier, Saint Peter’s put its stamp on March Madness history in 2022 by getting deeper into the tournament than any No. 15 seed before it. The Peacocks earned it with some hard-fought wins against high-caliber opponents, knocking off No. 2 Kentucky in overtime by an 85-79 score, dispensing with No. 7 Murray State, 70-60, and also upending No. 3 Purdue by a 67-64 margin.
A pair of those wins also held their own historical context. Saint Peter’s had been 18.5-point underdogs to Kentucky in that opening round, as well as a 13-point dog to the Boilermakers. By prevailing in both games, the Peacocks became the first team since the tournament expanded in 1985 to win multiple games when projected to lose them by double digits.
While the proverbial carriage subsequently turned into a pumpkin via a 69-49 loss to No. 8 seed North Carolina in the East Regional final, the Peacocks became just another example of the unpredictability inherent in a single-game elimination scenario, where oddsmakers can sometimes be proven drastically wrong.
No. 1 – Christian Laettner and ‘The Shot’ (1992)
The Duke Blue Devils had multiple dominant seasons under legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski to start the 1990s, and although their 24-8 record in 1992 actually paled in comparison to their 30-plus-win campaigns the prior two seasons, they faced off with the Kentucky Wildcats in the East Region final that year as the No. 1 seed.
The Blue Devils were also the defending national champions, but they were in danger of having their title defense come to an abrupt end when they found themselves trailing by a 103-102 score in overtime to the No. 2-seeded Wildcats. A loaded team that also featured Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley and Cherokee Parks alongside Laettner ultimately turned to their athletic center, who’d averaged 21.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.1 steals during the season, to preserve their hopes for back-to-back championships.
With only 2.1 seconds remaining, Hill uncorked an inbound pass about three-quarters of the way down the court that surely made his legendary NFL receiver dad Calvin proud, with the ball landing in Laettner’s hands. After a fake to his right and a single dribble, Laettner rose above his defender on a jumper that left his hands with just a half-second left on the clock and cleanly went through to close out a 31-point performance on perfect 10-for-10 shooting from both the field and free-throw line.
The legendary basket would serve as the gateway for Duke to advance to its fifth straight Final Four and eventually record a championship win over Michigan’s Fab Five by a convincing 71-51 score.
