With the tourney about to kick off I put together a post to get everybody a little more animated. The great stories that have come from this bigger then life tournament which we call March Madness are sketch in our memory for a lifetime. It’s the reason employees save their sick days to all of a sudden feel ill at this same time every year, no one wants to miss Valporaiso Bryce Drew hitting an unbelievable three to win the game for a school that nobody thought had a chance, yes you can see the highlight on sports center for the next month but there is nothing like watching the game unfold before your own eyes. In honor of these memorable events I have put together a top ten tournament moments.
10. James Forrest’s .8 Second “Holy Mackerel” Shot- Georgia Tech’s James Forrest was the hero in Georgia Tech’s 1992 second round victory over USC with this quick release.
9. Bryce Drew’s Buzzer Beater-Valparaiso’s Bryce Drew became a March household name in 1998 when he hit this last second shot to upset Mississippi in the first round.
8. . Mario Chalmers “Breaking My Heart”- what’s better then a three point shot to push the title game into OT. Just last year I had three hundred dollars spent in my head until this three pointer broke my heart and cost me money.
7.Tyus Edney’s Full Court Sprint-UCLA’s tiny point guard Tyus Edney went coast-to-coast in this incredible drive and layup to beat Missouri in 1995.
6.Chris Weber’s Infamous Timeout-Sports fans know the story – Weber called a timeout he didn’t have, blowing Michigan and the Fab 5’s chance at a national title.
5. Magic vs Bird- Magic Johnson squared off against Larry Bird for the first time. One year later, they would take their show to the NBA, but on this night the dream showdown between the two best players in the country was on college basketball’s grandest stage – the NCAA Championship game. What else can you ask for?
4. Jordan!!-Jordan has never been scared of taking the big shot and this baseline J to beat Georgetown was a jump start for many more future buzzer beaters.
3. George Mason “Cinderella Story”- Cinderalla stories are the reason we play the game. George Mason tourney run was one for the ages. As a number 11 seed George Mason took out the usually power house teams that are on top of college basketball polls year after year Michigan State, North Carolina, and Uconn to become the first mid major team to reach the final four since 1979.
2. Jimmy V “Somebody please hug me”- Lorenzo Charles, a muscular sophomore forward turned a desperation air ball shot into a decisive gentle dunk in a 54-52 championship game victory over heavily-favored Houston in 1983. Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano pranced all over the court looking for someone to hug.
1. The Shot -Christian Laettner finished his perfect day from the field in this 1992 matchup with the Jamal Mashburn-led Kentucky Wildcats by draining what’s probably the most memorable shot in college basketball.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouWMTwiLTas&hl=en&fs=1]
