Over the years, March Madness has featured teams who compete at their highest level.
The consequence of this competitive intensity is that, sometimes, we get amazing games where both teams give everything they have and end up performing at almost equal levels.
Five games, ranging from 1992 to 2019, stand out as the five best ones in the Elite Eight.
Before heading to the NCAAB betting sites, I wanted to rank those games, taking into account the pure excitement factor and the competitiveness of the game as well as the teams and storylines in play.
What makes a game memorable is not just the fact that it is exciting but also the teams and storylines that make it more meaningful.
5. Oklahoma State vs. St. Joseph’s (2004)
This Elite Eight battle was a defining game for each program.
Both programs were trying to ascend into the top tier of the college basketball landscape. They were great in this year, and they were hot at the time of their game.
Oklahoma State had won nine games in a row and were Big 12 champions. The Cowboys were awarded a two-seed. St. Joe’s was a one-seed with a 30-1 record.
The game was a fascinating one to watch not just because of its sheer competitiveness and the palpability of the will of both teams to advance to the Final Four, but also because it featured contrasting styles and strengths.
Oklahoma State was dominant on the glass but could not avoid turning the ball over against the pressure defense of its opponent. It was an ugly game but the best ugly Elite Eight game ever because the ugliness dramatized a lot of aspects of this game that made it great.
The ugliness attested to the physicality and pressure, the sheer manpower that both teams exuded. It also made the final moments all the more exciting, as these were capped off by a game-winning shot taken by John Lucas.
In a game with little offense, Lucas made himself responsible in that moment for Oklahoma State’s biggest shot in its program’s history.
The Cowboys triumphed 64-62.
4. Arizona vs. Illinois (2005)
This was basically a home game for Illinois, as it took place in Chicago’s Allstate Arena.
Despite being seeded number one and despite benefiting from the presence of so many Illini fans in the venue, Illinois was down 75-60 with four minutes left in regulation.
But the Illini would achieve an improbable comeback.
Illini player after Illini player made big shot after big shot, culminating in Deron Williams’ three-pointer with just over 30 seconds left. The Illini finished regulation on a 20-5 run. This run was so huge, but it merely extended the game.
We got to see these teams play more basketball. It was a competitive overtime, as close as an overtime can be, and it resulted in a 90-89 win for Illinois.
3. Notre Dame vs. Kentucky (2015)
The fact that this game was close is amazing to think about.
Kentucky was undefeated, 37-0. It was rare for one of its opponents just to stay within single digits. It had won all of its SEC Tournament games and every NCAA Tournament game through the Sweet 16 by double digits.
It was a game that featured the very best that the Irish could bring, a strong game-plan that allowed them to overcome the problem of Kentucky’s size by drawing UK’s bigs away from the basket, and the Irish made big shot after big shot.
Notre Dame was up 59-53 late in the second half before Kentucky came back and surmounted back-and-forth thrilling action to ascend to a 68-66 lead. Notre Dame missed a shot at the end that would have won it.
2. Virginia vs. Purdue (2019)
This game featured an ultimate storyline, two March choke-artists trying to redefine their respective programs.
Still, more than anything else, it was Virginia trying to redeem itself after suffering the ultimate embarrassment in the previous tournament when it lost to 16-seed UMBC.
This game is amazing because of how high-scoring it was. Virginia’s defense was arguably the nation’s best. It held entire teams to a lower point total than what Purdue’s top scorer attained.
Carsen Edwards’ performance was incredible. He banked threes. He drained threes from long-range. He seemingly could not miss, even triumphing past Virginia’s intelligent decision to stick the lengthy ACC Defensive Player of the Year De’Andre Hunter onto him.
However, Virginia, despite being known for its defense, was able to answer. It needed every second in regulation to do so.
Down three with 5.9 seconds left, Ty Jerome made his first free throw before missing his second. Mamadi Diakite swatted the ball backwards, which freshman point guard Kihei Clark was able to track down past half-court. The final seconds quickly waning, Clark displayed top-tier vision and made an amazing long pass to Diakite for a buzzer-beater to tie it.
Virginia would triumph in overtime, scoring the final six points in the last 40 seconds to win 80-75.
1. Kentucky vs. Duke (1992)
This is an iconic game that some consider to be the best one ever.
It featured a storming comeback from Kentucky late, last-minute lead changes, a weird-looking bank shot over the outstretched arms of Christian Laettner with just over a couple seconds left that put Kentucky ahead by one.
There were a lot of made shots in this game. It was an overtime thriller that Kentucky led 103-102 with just over two seconds left. The Wildcats shot 57% percent in this one and were the losing team.
In defiance of Kentucky’s clutch shot-making and its efficiency, the game ended with what is called “The Shot,” an eternally iconic moment.
Laettner receives a three-quarters-court pass from Grant Hill. He fakes to his right, spins to his left and drains the game-winner at the buzzer. Duke won 104-103.
