Every year, the NCAA Tournament provides great and unexpected entertainment, and some of the most memorable moments on the sports calendar. For many, it’s the best three weeks of the year.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve been able to attend several NCAA Tournament regionals during the event’s first weekend. Here are the 10 most memorable games that I’ve seen in person.
10. No. 11 UCLA 60, No. 6 SMU 59
Year: 2015
Site: Louisville
Round of 64
In basketball, as in life, it’s more preferable to be lucky than good. Officially, the winning jumper went into the box score as a game-winning 3-pointer by Bryce Alford with 11 seconds left.
However, Alford was only credited with the basket because SMU center Yanick Moreira was called for goaltending. The shot didn’t come close to going in as it went to the far right. It looked like Moreira touched the ball before it hit the rim.
Was it goaltending? Judge for yourself.
9. No. 14 UAB 60, No. 3 Iowa State 59
Year: 2015
Site: Louisville
Round of 64
This was supposed to be Iowa State’s year. The Cyclones, who reached the 2014 Sweet 16, had a great regular-season. They finished second in the Big 12 to, of course, Kansas. But they won the conference tournament and looked like a legit Final Four contender. Unfortunately, this will go down as Iowa State’s worst first-round exit since the 2001 Cyclones were ousted as a No. 2 seed by Hampton.
Credit UAB, who had Virginia Tech transfer Robert Brown (21 points) and talented freshman forward William Lee. Lee’s basket in the final minute left gave the Blazers the lead for good.
It turned out to be the final game at Iowa State for coach Fred Hoiberg, who left for the Chicago Bulls job.
8. No. 13 La Salle 76, No. 12 Mississippi 74
Year: 2013
Site: Kansas City
Round of 32
This was an unlikely battle to advance to the Sweet 16. Mississippi upset Wisconsin and La Salle knocked off Kansas State. Most of the attention was focused on Ole Miss’ polarizing star Marshall Henderson, who scored 19 points versus Wisconsin. Against La Salle, Henderson got 21 points the hard way (21 shots).
But he wasn’t the story this time. La Salle reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1955, thanks to Tyrone Garland. Garland also had a tough time shooting (6-of-16 for 17 points), but his final shot was the one that mattered most. He converted a driving layup with 2.5 seconds left. Garland called his shot the “Southwest Philly Floater.”
7. No. 13 Murray State 66, No. 4 Vanderbilt 65
Year: 2010
Site: San Jose
Round of 64
This thriller set up the Butler-Murray State game next on the list. Murray State entered the tournament with only one NCAA victory in program history. But the Racers (30-4) were a trendy upset pick that gained more attention when President Obama predicted them to beat Vanderbilt in his bracket.
Murray State didn’t have any marquee regular-season victories. The only time it played a major-conference opponent, it lost 75-70 in the season-opener at then-No. 13 California. But the Racers were a quality team with depth that many teams would envy (Isaiah Canaan came off the bench as a freshman). The game was decided on a buzzer-beater with Danero Thomas’ jumper for the win.
6. No. 5 Butler 54, No. 13 Murray State 52
Year: 2010
Site: San Jose
Round of 32
Some games stick out because of how they change the course of history. Would Butler be Butler today if not for squeaking out this one? Would the Bulldogs be in the Big East? Would Brad Stevens be coaching the Boston Celtics? We will never know those answers. But it’s fun to speculate. This game helped set the platform for the success Butler and Stevens are enjoying today.
Basketball can be a game of inches and how a deflection can change fates. What makes it more interesting is that it involved two future NBA players, both of whom were not big-time recruits: Butler’s Gordon Hayward and Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan.
Canaan, then a freshman, had the ball in his hands with the Racers down 54-52 in the final seconds. On a double-team, Hayward tipped the ball away and it bounced into the backcourt as time expired. Butler went to the first of its two surprising national championship game runs.
5. No. 7 Wisconsin 66, No. 2 Xavier 63
Year: 2016
Site: Saint Louis
Round of 32
No one wants to see a sad Bill Murray. But that’s what happened when Xavier lost on a game-ending 3-pointer. The actor is a Xavier fan because his son Luke is a Musketeers assistant. He’s often at the home games and was in attendance in Saint Louis for one of the most soul-crushing defeats in Xavier history.
Xavier was ranked as high as No. 5 in the country and beat then-No. 1 and eventual national champion Villanova during the regular season. The Musketeers finished second in the Big East and received their highest-ever NCAA Tournament seeding. This was cruel. Xavier squandered a nine-point lead with six minutes left. Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig connected on a difficult 3-pointer from the corner in front of the Wisconsin bench to beat Xavier and send Murray home unhappy.
4. No. 13 San Diego 70, No. 4 Connecticut 69 OT
Year: 2008
Site: Tampa, Florida
Round of 64
In 2008, tournament site Tampa earned the nickname Upset City. Unbelievably, four double-digit seeds won their opening games: No. 13 Siena over No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 12 Western Kentucky over No. 5 Drake, No. 12 Villanova over No. 5 Clemson… and then there was this game. Upsets make the tournament special. However, four in the same day at the same site? Two in overtime? This was unprecedented.
Of all the stunners, San Diego might have been the most unlikely based on pedigrees. The Toros had never won a NCAA game and this was just their fourth time in the tournament. UConn was/is a nouveau riche powerhouse (four national championships). In retrospect, San Diego probably deserved a little more respect. It did win at Kentucky earlier that season.
De’Jon Jackson was the hero with a long pull-up jumper with 1.2 seconds to play.
3. No. 12 Western Kentucky 101, No. 5 Drake 99 OT
Year: 2008
Site: Tampa, Florida
Round of 64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBLvM33q39k
Western Kentucky was cruising. The fast-paced Hilltoppers, with future NBA players Courtney Lee and Jeremy Evans, led by as many as 16 points in the second half and were up 74-59 with under eight minutes to play. All of a sudden Drake closed on a 29-14 run to force overtime.
The Bulldogs had a 99-98 lead with 5.7 seconds left in OT. After a timeout, WKU had to go the length of the court. The Hilltoppers’ best two offensive players were Tyrone Brazelton (33 points) and Lee (15). Everyone – including Drake – expected one of those guys to take the final shot.
Instead, Brazelton hurried the ball upcourt and found senior guard Ty Rogers for a buzzer-beating deep 3-pointer to win the game. The shot is one of the greatest moments in WKU sports history.
2. No. 15 Middle Tennessee 90, No. 2 Michigan State 81
Year: 2016
Site: Saint Louis
Round of 64
This was a first-round match-up that should have never happened. Michigan State was ranked No. 2 in the nation and had a strong case for a No. 1 seed. Middle Tennessee deserved better than a No. 15. The result wound up being one of the most unexpected outcomes in tournament history. The Spartans had a talented roster headlined by Big Ten player of the year Denzel Valentine. This seemed to be Tom Izzo’s best shot at his second national championship.
Didn’t happen. Middle Tennessee, which had not won an NCAA Tournament game since 1989, shocked everyone. This was just the eighth time that a No. 15 seed beat a No. 2. What was most surprising is that this wasn’t a last-second fluke. The Blue Raiders shot 55.9 percent (11-of-19 from 3-point range). They led 15-2 and hung on late to deliver what some have called the biggest upset in NCAA history.
1. No. 8 Kentucky 78, No. 1 Wichita State 76
Year: 2014
Site: Saint Louis
Round of 32
This felt like an Elite Eight game. This should have been an Elite Eight game. The NCAA selection committee gave Wichita State a backhanded compliment. The Shockers entered the tournament 34-0 and there were questions as to whether they would get a No. 1 seed because of their schedule. Well, they got the seed, but were pitted in a second-round match against a Kentucky team that underachieved during the regular season and was probably the most talented No. 8 seed in tournament history.
That said, the game was awesome. It was close throughout and either team could have won. It was an instant classic. Fred VanVleet, the Missouri Valley Conference’s Most Valuable Player, had a chance to be the hero but his 3-pointer from the top of the key as time expired hit the iron.
It’s funny — Wichita State probably got more respect from this loss than it did during the regular season. Meanwhile, Kentucky went on to reach the championship game before being beaten by Connecticut.
