Great NCAA Tournament Games of the Past 20 Years

Every March, the NCAA tournament brings out the best of the college basketball world. Over the past 20 years there have been some unforgettable moments in the NCAA tournament. It would be impossible to list them all, but below are a few of the best.

1. Kentucky vs. Duke in the 1992 East Regional Final will always be remembered as one of the greatest games of all time. Duke’s Christian Laettner hit a shot from the top of the key to lift Duke to a 104-103 win in overtime. This game is widely regarded as one of the top college basketball games of all time.

2. One of the greatest NCAA Tournament championship games of all time took place in 1985 between Georgetown and Villanova. Villanova came into the game as a #8 seed, and a heavy underdog; but they came out smoking and ended the game shooting 78.6% from the field. This great display of shooting lifted Villanova to a 66-64 victory.

3. Indiana knocked off Syracuse 74-73 in the 1987 championship game. This game was close throughout.

4. In 1991, Duke beat defending champion UNLV by a score of 79-77. This propelled them into the championship game.

5. The 1989 championship game saw Michigan down Seton Hall in overtime, 80-79. Michigan was led by interim head coach Steve Fisher.

6. Scotty Thurman buried a deep three pointer with 40 seconds remaining to lift Arkansas to a 76-72 victory of Duke in the 1994 championship game.

7. In one of the craziest NCAA tournament games of all-time, North Carolina beat Michigan 77-71 in the 1993 championship game. This game featured Chris Webber calling a timeout at the end of the game that his team did not have. This resulted in North Carolina clinching the game with the technical free throws that ensued.

8. In the 1990 East Regional Final Duke beat Connecticut 79-78 in overtime.

9. The 1988 championship game saw the highest scoring first half in title game history. But in the end, Kansas ended up knocking off Oklahoma 83-79 to take home the championship.

10. In 1989 the Georgetown Hoyas narrowly escaped a huge upset. They beat #16 seeded Princeton 50-49 in one of the most exciting tournament games of all time.

11. In the first round of the 1996 NCAA tournament Princeton knocked off UCLA 43-41. They scored the winning basket on a perfectly executed backdoor cut.

12. In the 2001 semi-finals, Duke staged an amazing comeback against Maryland. Maryland had a 22 point advantage, but ended up losing the game 95-84.

13. The 1997 championship game between Arizona and Kentucky was a thriller. Arizona ended up winning 84-79 in overtime.

14. In the first round of the 1999 tournament Weber State knocked off North Carolina in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. The number three seeded Tar Heels lost by a score of 76-74.

15. UCLA beat Missouri 75-74 in a thrilling second round game in the 1995 tournament. UCLA point guard Tyus Edney drove the length of the court with a few seconds remaining to win the game for the Bruins.

Stay tuned this March for another unforgettable NCAA basketball tournament. You never know when the next big moment is going to happen!