Few sporting events compare to the NCAA Tournament in terms of entertainment and building memories. Growing up, we had one television and during the tournament, it was a bonding experience for the whole family. If you don’t count mom.
I’m just joking about that. To this day if there is a game on, mom will invariably grace us with her presence and point out a fact that will amaze me. I never thought she paid attention to those games.
Mom notwithstanding, my memories usually consist of Dad and I watching basketball. We sat in amazement when North Carolina State stunned Phi Slamma Jamma but my most memorable game came a couple of years later when Villanova faced off against Georgetown for the NCAA title.
Throughout that season, the Hoyas had assumed the role of bully, shredding through the competition. Led by Patrick Ewing, Reggie Williams and a point guard named Michael Jackson, the Hoyas were the bad boys way before the Detroit Pistons made it en vogue.
The Wildcats on the other hand were survivors of a rugged Big East Conference that placed three teams in the Final Four. Villanova had an undersized center in Ed Pinckney, a sharp shooting guard off the bench in Harold Jensen and a point guard hopped up on cocaine named Gary McClain.
As the No. 8 seed in its region, the Wildcats had to beat No. 2-ranked Michigan, No. 5-ranked Memphis State and No. 7-ranked North Carolina for the right to play No. 1-ranked Georgetown.
In that game, Villanova basically had to play a perfect game to pull off the upset. And it did.
The Wildcats shot an amazing 79 percent from the field and knocked off Georgetown 66-64. It was yet another stunning loss for the Hoyas, which had one of the best teams in the early 80’s yet only won one national championship.
The game, which was played fittingly enough on April Fool’s Day, has been memorialized in a documentary called The Perfect Upset and Villanova remains the highest seed to ever win a national championship.
— Michael Pineda is the sports editor for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 255-5354, Ext. 143, or via e-mail at m.pineda@duncanbanner.com
Perhaps my favorite three minutes in sports is the very end of the CBS broadcast after the NCAA National Championship game. The song “One Shining Moment” by Luther Vandross plays and the producers put together a highlight film of the memorable moments from the basketball tournament.
Because of my lack of eliminating ability, I’ll present two of my favorite NCAA Tournament moments.
Two years ago, the tournament produced something that hadn’t happened since the current seeding system began in 1979: All No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Memphis and Kansas prevailed and set up a classic title game.
Memphis led by nine with 2:12 to go in the game, but the Jayhawks would not quit and fought back to within three late. Mario Chalmers made the Tigers pay by hitting a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining to tie the game and force overtime. Kansas outscored the flustered Tigers 12-5 to win 75-68 and claim its first national title since 1988.
The shot by Chalmers is known in the Sunflower State as the “Mario Miracle” and will forever be embedded in my mind as one of the most clutch shots in NCAA Tournament history given the situation.
My second pick took place right here in Oklahoma. Valparaiso, the No. 13 seed, took on No. 4 seed Ole Miss in the first round in 1998 in Oklahoma City. The Crusaders fought hard all game but trailed by two with 2.5 seconds to go. Valpo had the ball out of bounds, 94 feet away from its basket after two missed free throws by Ole Miss that would have all but won the game.
The play was called “Pacer” and it included a long in-bounds pass, followed by a quick pass to Bryce Drew. Drew took the pass and launched a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded. The shot went through and Drew dove to the ground as the Crusaders piled on top in one of the most stunning upsets of the tournament.
Here’s to the anticipation of more thrilling finishes in the 2010 version of the NCAA Tournament.
— Ben Whitehead is a sports writer for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 255-5354, Ext. 165, or via e-mail at ben.whitehead@duncanbanner.com.
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Favorite tourney moment?
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