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Your Greatest Moments in NCAA Tourney History

Started by dcvalpo, June 03, 2011, 09:15:06 PM

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dcvalpo

The great catch thread sort of spun into NCAA basketball which is an even better and more intriguing topic.  In your estimation, what are the five or ten greatest moments in tourney history?  (They don't have to be just one shot...could be a sequence or game)

Here are mine:

1) Villanova defeats G'town, 1985...the perfect game.  In modern context, Nova beating G'town is no big deal.  Then it was a massive upset of epic proportions.
1985 National Championship Villanova vs. Georgetown

2) Laetner's shot over UK, 1992...one of the great teams of all time beats one of the great programs.  Laetner's antics earlier in the game made him a villain and made the final shot even more dramatic.
Kentucky v Duke: Hill Pass, Laettner Jumper

3) Magic vs. Bird, 1979...two of the greatest college and NBA players of all time square off.  This game took the tourney to another level and was a great David vs. Goliath story.
Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson

4) Jimmy V looking for someone to hug, 1983...Jimmy V searching for a player or coach to hug has become iconic, and how often has an NCAA tournament been decided on a buzzer beater?  Once, I think, and that was 83.
1983 National Championship N.C. State vs. Houston

5) Webber's time out, 1993...Michigan was a team of great promise, and a team everyone loved to hate.  Who will ever forget Webber's inadvertent timeout and subsequent national title for North Carolina?
Chris Webber's Timeout (HD)

6) Smart beats Syracuse, 1987...great moment as Keith Smart drains a jumper from the corner and propels IU to the national title over Syracuse.  Especially interesting team after reading Season on the Brink from the year before.
Keith Smart winning shot 1987

7) The comeback, 2006...Illinois was dead-to-rights, trailing Arizona by 15 points with four minutes to go.  Then, Dee Brown and Derron Williams led the Illini on a furious run and sealed the 81-80 win in OT.  
Illinois/Arizona '05

8) Butler's run, 2010...better than George Mason's run as the Dogs got to the title game and Haywood's shot rimmed in and out from half court.  Fantastic run and another notch on the belt for mid-majors.
Duke Butler 2010 NCAA Final Highlights

9) Pacer, 1998...of course, this has got to make the list.  Fantastic play, tremendous moment in Valpo history, and an iconic moment that still lives on every year in the NCAA lead-in for broadcasts.
1998 Valparaiso vs. Ole Miss 1st Round

10) Texas Western wins, 1966...the first all-black starting five to win a tournament.  Important moment in civil rights and basketball history.  If you haven't seen Glory Road, I highly recommend it!  
UTEP Tribute to 1966 Texas Western NCAA Basketball National Championship Team

What are yours?  Love talking about this stuff!