The Campus looks back at the top six games of March Madness past

Photo courtesy of www.wikimedia.org

Issues more important than sports have caused the cancelation of this year’s NCAA men’s March Madness tournament. In lieu of The Campus traditional bracket preview, The Campus sport writer Jon Painter is looking back at some of the most memorable games in the NCAA tournament.

With no March Madness on the docket this year, the best way to fill your appetite for buzzer beaters is with the following list. These games are the foundation of my love for March Madness. 

6. VCU over Duke 79-77. 2007

It is always thrilling to see Duke lose and I remember watching this game as a kid with my mom in Virginia. Duke was a six seed and led by point guard Greg Paulus. VCU, an eleven seed, was coached by Anthony Grant, who is now coaching at the University of Dayton. A straight on mid-range jumper in the final seconds from VCU point guard Eric Maynor ended Duke’s season. 

5. Stephen F. Austin over VCU 77-75 OT. 2014

I watched this game in South Sudan while serving in the Army. This time the roles were reversed and Stephen F. Austin was a twelve seed while VCU was the five seed. To me this game is special because Stephen F. Austin’s Desmon Haymon hit a three, got fouled and hit the free throw at the end of the game just to send it into overtime. Four point plays happen now and then, but to be down four and get the four point play, incredible. 

4. Virginia over Purdue 80-75 OT. 2019

Carson Edwards of Purdue was so good in this game, hitting three after three. I watched this game over at my teammate Jackson Flack’s house in Ottawa, Kansas. The crazy missed, free throw, back tap rundown and long midrange jumper hit by Virginia to send the game to overtime was insane. Virginia, known for its slow pace and low gear offense, was able to prevail over Purdue in that  game, which catapulted them into the Final Four on their way to be the eventual 2019 National Champions.

3. Kansas State over Xavier 101-96 2OT. 2010

Just watch the highlights; this game was beyond words. This game is memorable to me because I was watching with my father, and Gus Johnson, the announcer, made it even more exciting. His descriptions were those of a fan in amazement of the shots that were hit throughout the game. Even though Xavier lost, the signature moment in my mind is Jordan Crawford of Xavier hitting 35 foot three late in the game to tie as Gus Johnson lost his mind. 

2. Siena over Ohio State 74-72 2OT. 2009

This is one of my favorite games because I was supposed to be in bed but I kept sneaking back down stairs to watch it. It also had two of the greatest announcers ever calling the game in Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery. There were multiple last second threes by Siena’s Ronald Moore to first send the game to a second overtime and then win the game in the second overtime. 

1. Villanova over North Carolina 77-74. 2016. 

The 2016 National Championship game was one for all-time. North Carolina’s Marcus Paige hit a double-clutch three pointer with 4 seconds to play that allowed the one seeded North Carolina Tar Heels to tie the game at 74. Villanova then drove the ball up the court and Kris Jenkins hit a three pointer as time expired to give the Wildcats the championship. I was a freshman in Brown Hall, and the joy from watching that game and its conclusion made me yell.