The late shots and bracket-busting upsets made this NCAA Tournament a little crazier than usual. Will the finale follow the same script? It’ll have to if it hopes to crack this list:
10. Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79
Kansas City, 1988
The Sooners — led by Stacey King, Harvey Grant and Mookie Blaylock — averaged 102.9 ppg during the season and already had beaten Kansas twice in Big Eight play. But Danny Manning (31 points, 18 rebounds) dominated, leading the Jayhawks — dubbed “Danny and the Miracles” — to one of the biggest upsets in NCAA championship game history.
9. Kansas 75, Memphis 68
San Antonio, 2008
Memphis led late in regulation but missed four of five free throws down the stretch. With 10.8 seconds to go, Sherron Collins raced up the floor and handed the ball off to Mario Chalmers, who drilled a game-tying 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. Kansas scored the first six points in OT to pull away for good.
8. UNC 77, Michigan 71
New Orleans, 1993
Down by two with just 19 seconds left in regulation, Michigan’s Chris Webber collected a rebound off a missed North Carolina free throw, nearly traveled, got boxed into a corner and frantically called a timeout. The problem was Michigan didn’t have any left. The subsequent technical foul shots iced the win for UNC.
7. Villanova 66, Georgetown 64
Lexington, Ky., 1985
Georgetown, playing in its third championship game in four years, was the best team in the country. Villanova, meanwhile, arrived at the Final Four as a No. 8 seed. In the last college game played before the introduction of the shot clock, the Wildcats made a blistering 22 of 28 field goals, becoming the lowest seed to win the national title.
6. UNC 54, Kansas 53
Kansas City, 1957
We had to climb into our hot tub time machine for this one. But any game combining UNC, Wilt Chamberlain and triple overtime makes the list. “The Stilt” (23 points, 14 rebounds) was dominant, earning the tournament’s most outstanding player award. But UNC forward Pete Brennan (11 points, 11 boards) was instrumental in Carolina’s 42-28 advantage on the glass.
5. UNC 63, Georgetown 62
New Orleans, 1982
In a showcase game for future NBA stars Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, the Tar Heels and Hoyas combined for 15 lead changes. Jordan’s jumper from the wing put North Carolina up 63-62 with 17 seconds left, and Georgetown guard Fred Brown mistakenly passed the ball to UNC’s James Worthy on the following possession to give Dean Smith his first championship.
4. Indiana 74, Syracuse 73
New Orleans, 1987
This one had it all: future Hall of Fame coaches (Jim Boeheim and Bob Knight), college superstars (Steve Alford and Derrick Coleman) and a game-winning shot in the closing seconds. Coleman hauled down a game-high 19 rebounds, but his efforts were overshadowed by Keith Smart’s baseline jumper, which gave the Hoosiers a one-point lead and the national title.
3. N.C. State 54, Houston 52
Albuquerque, N.M., 1983
The greatest upset in tournament history. “Phi Slamma Jamma” Houston was on a 26-game winning streak. N.C. State, meanwhile, had clawed its way to the title game as a dark horse. With the score tied 52-52, N.C. State’s Lorenzo Charles slammed home Dereck Whittenburg’s errant heave at the buzzer, sending Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano racing through the crowd, looking for players to hug.
2. Michigan St. 75, Indiana St. 64
Salt Lake City, 1979
No list of great tournament games would be complete without this one on it. The matchup of Michigan State’s Magic Johnson and Indiana State’s Larry Bird remains the highest-rated game in the history of televised college basketball. Though Magic topped Bird in this one, the game paved the way for a decade of battles between the two in the NBA.
1. Texas West 72, Kentucky 65
College Park, Md., 1966
This one didn’t have a buzzer-beating shot or the 24-7 media hype that surrounds today’s tournament. But for breadth of storyline, nothing tops it. Don Haskins’ decision to start five black players (a first in NCAA Tournament history) and Texas Western’s improbable win over an Adolph Rupp team that featured Louie Dampier and Pat Riley remains one of the landmark achievements in all of sports.
