March Madness at its best

"By George, the dream is alive!"

March Madness is a wonderful thing.  Every year produces some amount of madness and resulting ecstasy.  However because awesome upsets are a common occurrence, sometimes we overlook and forget about the great games.  To help you out with this problem, members of the LBS staff will be writing about some of their favorite March Madness games.  Enjoy.



Henno -- Ohio State Vs. Xavier -- 2nd Round -- 2007
I actually chose Connecticut Vs. George Mason, but Wiley refused to participate unless he could write about that magical game.  Granted, the Ohio State -- Xavier matchup was a great one as well.  My specific memory of this game is a strong one; my dad picked me up from a baseball game during the second half.  I listened to the rest of the game on the radio during my ride home.  At the time listening via the radio seemed like a burden, but in hindsight it has only enhanced my memory of the game.  With just under three minutes left in the game and Ohio State down nine points, it appeared as if Greg Oden's short career with the Buckeyes--the only short thing about Oden-- would come to an end.  But Ohio State strung together a quick run to bring it to within two points when Oden fouled the foul of the century.  The foul was vicious, but with a hyperbolic radio call and no visuals, I assumed Greg Oden had just murdered a Xavier player with his bare hands.  Oden fouled out and Player A on Xavier split the free throws to leave the Buckeyes with a sliver of hope if they could knock down a three.  In scenarios like this, as fans, we realize how helpless we are.  I wanted Ohio State to win with every bone in my body, but all of my wishes were irrelevant--they were going to hit a three or they weren't.  For some reason, listening to the game on the radio I felt even more helpless.  My eyes were useless, senses reduced to only my ears.  "Gotta hurry... Conley... five to go.. Lewis has been awesome. Let's it goooo... IT GOESSSSS"  It is humanly impossible to determine if Gus Johnson definitively said "it goes," but that's my best guess.  The Buckeyes would go on to beat Xavier in overtime before eventually losing to Florida in the finals.  A National Championship sounds nice, but the memory of this game means just as much.

Scott- Kasas vs Northern Iowa -- 2010 -- 2nd Round

“For as long as i live, i'll never forget that Farokhmanesh shot. It’s emblematic of why march madness is awesome. The guy with the biggest balls wins, and let it be known that on the biggest stage in the spring of 2010, nobody had bigger balls than Farokhmanesh.”

"Nobody had bigger balls than Farokhmanesh"
Courtesy of Greg Nelson/SI

The first comment on the Youtube video of the highlights, this quote really captures the essence of this game, and of March Madness.  It’s not about who’s had the better season, the better players, or the better coach, it’s about who shows up to the gym on that particular day and takes care of business.  What separates this game from most classic David vs. Goliath NCAA Tournament matchups was that it came in the second round, with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line, as opposed to most upsets, which generally occur in the first round.  The kids from UNI controlled the tempo of the game throughout, culminating when their star, Ali Farokhmanesh, hit what will go down as the greatest “No…No…No…YES!!!!!!” shot in the history of college basketball.  It made completely no sense for the guy to take a transition three instead of burning clock and getting fouled, but Farokhmanesh had the balls to not only take it, but to knock it down.  While a nine seed beating a one seed is not the most uncommon thing we have ever seen, take a second to remember that Kansas was the number one overall seed that year, and Northern Iowa is certainly not a team you’d expect to be taking them down, regardless of seed.  This game had it all: the implications, the star, the defining shot, and the it-factor.  And that’s why, for me, this is my favorite NCAA tournament game.

PS: This paragraph was a scam, George Mason- UCONN is the greatest NCAA tournament game of all time.  And I was physically present at that game.  Wiley is just a big ole beesh and demanded to be able to write about it.

Wiley -- UConn Vs. George Mason -- Elite Eight

This was one of the greatest games I have ever had the privilege of seeing.  Like few other truly memorable moments in my lifetime, I remember exactly where I was and what my emotions were as I watched this true classic play out.  I had been rooting for the Patriots ever since their first-round game, when I heard over the course of the broadcast that their star, Tony Skinn, was suspended from playing in that game because he had stomped someone in the groin in the CAA Tournament.  I'm not sure exactly why, but I thought that was awesome.  Just getting to the elite eight was an incredible achievement for GMU.  They had to beat, in order, Michigan State (who had gotten to the final four the previous year), UNC, and a good Wichita State team before facing the favorite to win it all, the UConn Huskies.

And man, what a game.  George Mason played beyond anyone's expectations, maintaining a four-point lead with just 15 seconds on the clock. UConn hit a short shot to bring the lead down to two with 7.9 left. UConn quickly fouled on the inbounds pass. When GMU missed the free throw, Denham Brown managed a beautiful buzzer-beating reverse layup to tie it up.  So it went to overtime, where my favorite basketball player of all time, big boy Jai Lewis, Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell (what a name) each made huge shots to build another Patriot lead (Campbell's was particularly beautiful, a highly-contested fadeaway a couple of feet inside the 3-point line that hit nothing but net).  UConn managed to stay in it with a long, clutch 3 from Marcus Williams, leaving George Mason with a 2-point lead and 10 seconds on the clock.  One bricked Jai Lewis free throw later and Connecticut had a chance to win with time waning down.  I still remember the call: "UConn. Denham Brown. 3 to go. Denham Brown for 3...NO GOOD! BY GEORGE, THE DREAM IS ALIVE!

I can count on one hand the times I've been as happy as I was in that glorious moment, jumping up and down as the Patriots hopped onto the scorers' table, as brilliantly joyous as I've ever seen anyone, basking in what was thought to be the impossible. 

They would go on to lose in the final four, but I, and millions of other sports fans, will never forget that wonderful day.

Matt -- Kansas State Vs. Xavier -- Sweet Sixteen -- 2010 

When it comes to specific sports events and moments I sometimes have a hard time remembering all of the little specific details that some people can bust out with ease years after the game. The Kansas State-Xavier match up from 2010 is still fresh in my mind though, probably because I was sitting in my hotel room in Hawaii watching this game instead of kicking back poolside with a virgin piña colada. This game didn't have the major Cinderella story like VCU of last year, Davidson in 2008 or George Mason back in 2006. What it did have was two of the most fearless three point shooters in the nation in Jordan Crawford and Jacob Pullen. I love watching guys who can knock down the long ball--Chris Lofton is my favorite college basketball player ever--and Crawford and Pullen were two of the best. I can't even remember who I picked to win this game, but by the end all I was rooting for was free basketball. With that I take you back to March 25, 2010 with 4 minutes to go in regulation.

61-60 Xavier up one. Kansas State senior Denis Clemente does not want his collegiate career to end, you can see it in his eyes...Jacob Pullen drives in but is stymied by the Xavier defense, he kicks it out to Clemente on the perimeter...BANG, three plus a foul. 66-64 K-State up with 2:20 to go, Xavier sets up a beautiful play freeing Jordan Crawford in the corner...BOOM. 25 seconds left, tie ball game, Jacob Pullen pulls a deep three...BURIES IT. 8 seconds left now, Xavier ball with Kansas State still up 3 and the Wildcats make a brutal mistake, fouling sophomore Tu Holloway on a running fading three attempt. At this point I am shocked Frank Martin doesn't storm the court to rip the faces off of his own players. Holloway demonstrates what it means to have ince water in the veins as he coolly knocks down all three from the stripe sending the game to OT. Free basketball! The first OT was some of the most fun I have ever had watching basketball. Kansas State kept looking like they were going to pull away only to have Tu hit a three and bring the Musketeers right back. The most memorable shot from this game though came from Jordan Crawford with 6 seconds left and Xavier down 3 in OT. Crawford pulls up for three from a different are code, in fact he was so far out that while the ball traveld through the air Gus Johnson was able to let out a noise that should only be made by a female in the bedroom. The shot fell and I got to ignore the beautiful Hawaii weather some more. With 30 seconds left in double OT Pullen swishes a trey that puts the Wildcats up 3 and would ultimately seal the deal.

Hawaii had nothing on this amazing game. 

Jake -- Kansas vs. North Dakota St -- First Round -- 2009

This game featured the greatest basketball player since James Naismith first put up the peach baskets in 1891. Ben Woodside electrified the nation with his 37 point performance on 3. seed Kansas. He made Sherron Collins look like a bag of rocks. Sadly the Bison could not come up with a victory, but his performance will live on forever in NCAA tournament lore.