Greatest March Madness Moments of Ever

The best thing about March Madness is that you never know when the next greatest moment in history will happen. That’s why we love watching the NCAA tournament – every year, we get to witness greatness in the making! I only hope that the future is just as exciting as the past.

In this article, I share my selection of the greatest March Madness moments of all time. I’m talking about the legendary games and performances that were wildly entertaining to watch. I also included a few matchups in which a lot was on the line.

• Year: 2016
• Round: National Championship

It was the year that Villanova kept winning one improbable game after another. Head coach Jay Wright would lead his team to success after multiple nailbiters in the tournament. He also had to face Roy Williams and North Carolina in the NCAA Division title game.

The Tar Heels were red-hot in the tournament that year. They also brought their A-game against Villanova, and both teams battled it out in the championship. The score was tied at 74-74 with only 4.7 seconds remaining in the game. That’s when history was made.

2016 NCAA Men's Basketball National Champions! #LetsMarchNova pic.twitter.com/p8XsMKRoEe

— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) April 5, 2016

Villanova had possession of the ball. With the inbound pass, Ryan Arcidiacono pushed up the floor before shoveling the ball back to Kris Jenkins. Jenkins would drain a three-pointer just before the final buzzer, giving Villanova the incredible victory.

It’s one of the most iconic March Madness runs ever, and I’m sure many of you will remember it forever.

• Year: 2019
• Round: Final Four

The match in 2019 between Virginia and Auburn was also one of the best March Madness moments in history. The Cavaliers would survive the Tigers and continue their quest for an NCAA Division I title. The team was led by Ty Jerome, DeAndre Hunter, and Kyle Guy.

As many college basketball fans can recall, Virginia suffered an early exit from the 2018 NCAA tournament, which was also the most embarrassing loss in program history. The Cavaliers were the first 1-seed ever to suffer defeat by a 16-seed.

In 2019, Virginia would earn itself a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament again. This time, the Cavaliers wouldn’t squander the opportunity. After advancing to the Final Four, Virginia took on a tough Auburn team, and the game was pretty intense.

The Tigers held the lead for most of the match. That’s when Kyle Guy took over the game’s final three minutes and absolutely shredded Auburn. He would also score the final free throws that gave Virginia the lead and sent his team to the championship.

• Year: 2012
• Round: National Championship

In 2011-12, John Calipari assembled a virtually unbeatable team. He’s often received a lot of flack for relying on young freshmen during his tenure. However, his instincts would prove to be auspicious during Kentucky’s championship run this season.

The Wildcats delivered one of the greatest March Madness moments ever by beating Kansas in the title game. Kentucky would rely on Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to lead the charge. The combination of youth and talent paid off for Calipari, who had faith in his players.

• Year: 2010
• Round: National Championship

Duke vs. Butler in 2010 provided us with another one of the best March Madness moments of all time. The two teams duked it out and gave it their all in the championship game. However, the final moments of the game were unforgettable.

The score was 61-59 in favor of Duke with mere seconds remaining. Center Brian Zoubek was at the line and shot a free throw, but he purposely missed his attempt to waste time. Butler was out of timeouts at this point and needed a miracle to win the game.

Butler forward Gordon Hayward would grab the rebound. He pushed the ball to halfcourt before chucking it up in hopes of capturing the lead. The ball would bounce off the backboard, then down onto the rim before hitting the hardwood floor.

The shot was painfully close to the basket, but Duke won its fourth title in program history.

• Year: 2008
• Round: Sweet 16

While attending Davidson, Steph Curry wasn’t a known commodity. Sure, he was pretty darn good, but he wasn’t on anyone’s radar until he had one of the best runs in NCAA tournament history. It was his heroics against Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 that made him a college basketball legend.

Curry scored 33 points while converting 11 of his 22 attempts from the field. We also got a glimpse of what we would see from him in the future: his long-range three-pointers and crazy handles. Davidson ended up advancing to the Elite 8 but lost to Kansas.

However, the legend of Steph Curry was born, and we all know how the guard has impacted the game of basketball since.

• Year: 2003
• Round: National Championship

Everyone forgets that Carmelo Anthony had an amazing basketball career at Syracuse. In 2003, He was the best college player in the nation, and his team was pretty darn good. Syracuse would also clash against Kansas in the NCAA Division I title game.

The game came down to the wire, with Syracuse up three points over Kansas. The Jayhawks had the final possession with a chance to even the score. Kansas ran an elevator play for Kirk Hinrich, but Syracuse wouldn’t allow it.

Heinrich swung the ball out to the corner, but Hakim Warrick was right there to block the shot. Syracuse would go on to win the game 81-78. It was one of the rare occasions in which we saw a game-saving blocked shot at the three-point line. This is why we love March Madness.

• Year: 2011
• Round: Second (Round of 32)

This was only the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2011. However, Jimmer Fredette gave us one of the most memorable performances in March Madness history. He punctuated a historic season at BYU with 34 points against Gonzaga in the tournament.

Many people say that this game was a microcosm of the mania surrounding Jimmer Fredette. He was sinking incredible three-pointers and pulling off some of the most impossible finishes at the rim. BYU would defeat Gonzaga and advance to the Sweet 16 before losing to Florida.

Fredette’s NBA career didn’t pan out as everyone expected, but no one can take away this moment from him.

If you like my list of the greatest March Madness moments ever, I’m sure you will enjoy some of our other cool selections of exciting events in various sports. I can definitely recommend the following.

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