March Madness, the culmination of college basketball, is a month filled with talent, nail-biting buzzer-beaters, sports strategy, and sheer tenacity. And once again, the madness is coming to Salt Lake City March 21-23 as Utah hosts the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
As we play our way through the brackets, let’s look back at previous season’s unforgettable moments where teams suffered the agony of defeat and triumph despite all odds. Whether you’re a die-hard college basketball fan or a casual sports enthusiast, read on as we relive some of the most mesmerizing moments.
Bracket Bound
Often decided by the slimmest of margins, the NCAA tournament encapsulates the very essence of what makes March Madness so captivating as we witness the drama unfold.
The Sweet Sixteen is a pivotal round in the NCAA tournament where teams that have made it this far vie for a spot in the Elite Eight. It’s here that the best teams emerge, the biggest upsets happen, and the Final Four come into view as dreams are realized and dismantled on courts across the country.
Unforgettable Matchups and Game Winners
Every fan has their own cherished March Madness memory, from buzzer-beaters to underdog triumphs. Here are a few that have etched themselves into the collective memory of college basketball:
In 2006, George Mason University put together the original NCAA Cinderella story. An 11th seed, the Patriots shocked the nation by reaching the Final Four. They came back from a regular-season defeat against Michigan State and then overtook reigning NCAA champions the North Carolina Tar Heels with a 65-60 win.
Next up was the Sweet Sixteen game against Wichita State, where four players scored double figures to win. George Mason’s improbable run symbolizes the heart and grit that’s always possible during March Madness.
In the NCAA National Championship game of 2016, Villanova faced off against the North Carolina Tar Heels in a historic matchup. With the game tied with 4.7 seconds left, Kris Jenkins tossed up a championship-winning three-pointer to win the National Championship 77-74. The shot is considered one of the greatest in NCAA tournament history and secured Villanova’s second title, with the first in 1985.
The East Region final of 1992 pitted the #1 Duke Blue Devils against the #2 seed Kentucky Wildcats. Down by one with 2.1 seconds to go in overtime, Christian Laettner hit a jumper to secure Duke’s victory. Known simply as ‘The Shot,’ the game was named the greatest college basketball game of all time by USA Today in 2002 and Sports Illustrated in 2004. ESPN ranks it as #17 on the top 100 sports moments.
Get Set for March Madness
Every March Madness NCAA tournament showdown is ripe with bracket-busting possibilities and ready to give way to new legends and narratives that will be forever recorded through the annals of the sport.
The thrill of March Madness is in its unpredictability, the heart-stopping action that makes college basketball so addictively engaging, and each year, it serves up a feast of heroic comebacks, game-winning plays, and remarkable upsets.
We invite you to tap into those memories, relive those moments, and share in the celebration of these collegiate athletes who, with each dribble, shot, and dunk, define what it means to play basketball in its purest form.
As March Madness gets underway, who knows what monumental moments await, what new narratives will capture our imaginations, and what teams will etch their name into the history books. Whether you’re cheering from the Delta Center, your living room, or our nearest neighborhood location, we invite you to get into the madness with us!
