March Madness began on March 18th, starting off what is arguably the sports world’s wildest, most unpredictable playoff tournament. Buzzer-beaters, upsets, and record-breaking performances are just some of the memorable moments that make the tournament iconic. Here are a few of the greatest moments from March Madness:
UNC vs Villanova Championship Game 2016
The University of North Carolina Tar Heels, #1 in the east conference, faced off against the #2 Villanova Wildcats from the south conference in the 2016 NCAA March Madness Championship Game. What was already a good matchup became an iconic game in the last five seconds of the game, when Marcus Paige of North Carolina hit a game-tying deep three with 4.7 seconds left, tying the game at 74-74. It was looking like the game was going to go into overtime, however, Villanova had other plans. Kris Jenkins, with a UNC defender in his face, shot from a couple of steps behind the three-point line with under a second left, and when the ball went in, he cemented the greatest finish to a March Madness tournament. (Villanova 77-74 North Carolina)
Loyola’s Final 4 Run
Back in 2018, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers made one of the most unexpected Final Four runs in tournament history and made themselves one of the best Cinderella team stories as well. Loyola came in as the 11th seed with a 25-5 record, matched up against the 6th seeded Miami. What should have happened was Loyola being a first round exit in their first March Madness tournament since 1985. Down 62-61 with seconds left, Loyola rebounded a failed free throw by Miami, passing the ball to Donte Ingram, who then fired off a shot 26 ft from the basket with 1.6 seconds to go in the game. The
shot went in, giving the Ramblers the victory 64-62 and sent them off to the next round. In the Round of 32, Loyola beat No. 3 Tennessee 63-62, thanks to a 3-pointer by Clayton Custer with six seconds left. Then, in the Sweet 16, Marques Townes hit a 3-pointer with eight seconds left to lift the Ramblers to victory over No. 7 Nevada 69-68. In the Elite Eight, they cruised past No. 9 Kansas State 78-62, sending them to the Final Four. Their championship dreams fell short with a sounding loss to No. 3 Michigan 69-57. (NCAA Video Vault).
UMBC Historic Win Over Virginia 2018
To give some context leading up to this game, Virginia was the greatest basketball program in the nation that year with a 31-2 record, which earned them the No. 1 seed in the East, where they would face off against a 24-10 UMBC that snuck their way into the tournament and a No. 16 seed. Up until that point, there were only three things guaranteed in life: death, taxes, and the No. 1 seed beating the No. 16 seed. That might be a little dramatic, but the all-time record 
between the No. 1 and No. 16 was 0-135 in tournament history. If the UMBC Retrievers were aware that their chances of success were near zero, they sure didn’t play like it. By the time the buzzer sounded at the end of the second half, the score was 74-54, UMBC. This wasn’t some last-second heroics by the underdog; no, this was a twenty-point domination over the number one team in the nation. Sadly, the story ended two days later, when the Retrievers were handed a loss and exited from the tournament by Kansas State, 50-43. Nevertheless, UMBC will always be remembered for their David vs Goliath victory over Virginia. (Lopresti) Only one other time has the No. 16 seed upset the No. 1 seed, and that was in 2023 when Fairleigh Dickinson Knights upset the Purdue Boilermakers.
Kentucky’s Almost Perfect Season
Back in 2015, the Kentucky Wildcats found themselves the kings of college basketball. They had gone 34-0 in the regular season and won the SEC championship game against Arkansas 78-63. They became one of 20 teams in tournament history that entered March Madness undefeated, only the third since the year 2000. They battled their way through opponent after opponent in the tournament, beating Hampton by 23, Cincinnati by 13, West Virginia by 39 and Notre Dame by two. In the Final Four, they faced Wisconsin, who was 35-3 at that point. The matchup could be
described as an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Kentucky was the greatest defense that year, while Wisconsin had the greatest scoring attack since 2002. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Kentucky chalked up their one and only loss of the season, coming at the worst time possible. Wisconsin moved on to the championship game with a 71-64 win. (Winn) In the end, the Wisconsin Badgers ultimately fell to the Duke Blue Devils.
