Missing March Madness? NCAA Releases Bracket Of Best NCAA Tournament Moments
(CBS Local)- Today is a bit of a bittersweet day for sports fans. If there wasn't an ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the first round of the men's NCAA Tournament would have begun today at sites around the country.
Recognizing that fans are likely feeling a bit down and starved for basketball or any good news at the moment, the NCAA has put together a bracket of the best moments in tournament history to entertain fans.
To celebrate our past tournaments, we're launching a bracket that pits some of the greatest #MarchMadnessMoments against each other.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2020
The bracket was selected & seeded by @TheAndyKatz. Voting begins at Noon ET on our social platforms w/the left side of the bracket. Let's do this! pic.twitter.com/J18IlsDuuo
The bracket is broken down into four regions that each focus on a specific time period where the moments happened. So, for example, there is a region for the Round of 64, or first round. Then there is a region for the Round of 32 and Sweet 16, one for the Elite 8 and one for the Final Four and National Championship.
Fans can go to the NCAA official website and watch video clips of the moments and then vote on their favorites. The first round of voting begins at 12 pm EST today.
Here are the matchups in the first round.
Round of 64
#1 UMBC upsets No. 1 seed Virginia in 2018 vs. #16 Georgetown squeaks out win vs. No. 16 seed Princeton in 1989
#8 No. 15 seed Hampton upsets Iowa State in 2001 vs. Northern Iowa's Paul Jesperson hits half-court buzzer-beater in 2016
#5 Loyola Marymount's Bo Kimble's left-handed free throw tribute to Hank Gathers in 1990 vs. CJ McCollum and Lehigh upset Duke in 2012
#4 Northwestern's first NCAA tournament appearance and victory in 2017 vs. Mercer dances past Duke in 2014
#6 Steve Nash and Santa Clara defeat Arizona in 1993 vs. #11 Loyola Chicago's Donte Ingram hits buzzer-beater against Miami (FL) in 2018
#3 Princeton upsets UCLA in 1996 vs. Georgia State's R.J. Hunter hits a game-winner in 2015
#7 Richmond becomes the first-ever No. 15 seed to win in the first round over Syracuse vs. #10 Steph Curry scores 40 points against Gonzaga in 2008
#2 Valparaiso's Bryce Drew's buzzer-beater in 1998 vs. #15 Ty Rogers' buzzer-beater in 2008
Round of 32 & Sweet 16
#1 Danny Ainge's game-winner for BYU in 1981 vs. #16 James Forrest's buzzer-beater in 1992
#8 Loyola Chicago's Clayton Custer's game-winner in 2018 vs. #9 Michigan's Trey Burke game-tying shot against Kansas in 2013
#5 Tate George's buzzer-beater in 1990 vs. #12 U.S. Reed's halfcourt shot in 1981
#4 Florida Gulf Coast makes Sweet 16 run and sparks "Dunk City" nickname vs. #13 Nevada's 22-point comeback in 2018
#6 Gonzaga's game-winner in 1999 vs. #11 Florida's Chris Chiozza's buzzer-beater against Wisconsin at MSG in 2017
#3 Michigan's Jordan Poole's buzzer-beater over Houston in 2018 vs. #14 Kansas State's double-overtime thriller against Xavier in 2010
#7 Northern Iowa's Ali Farokhmanesh's dagger against Kansas in 2010 vs. #10 Jimmer (Fredette) mania in 2011
#2 UCLA's Tyus Edney's buzzer-beater in 1995 vs. #15 Wisconsin's Bronson Koenig's buzzer-beater against Xavier in 2016
Elite 8
#1 Duke's Christina Laettner's buzzer-beater against Kentucky in 1992 vs. #16 Michigan State-Kentucky double-overtime thriller in 2005
#8 Villanova's Scottie Reynolds' buzzer-beater in 2009 vs. #9 George Mason's Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2006
#5 North Carolina's Luke Maye's game-winner against Kentucky in 2017 vs. #12 Auburn makes first Final Four in 2019
#4 Illinois' comeback in 2005 vs. #13 Christian Laettner's buzzer-beater against UConn in 1990
#6 Marquette's Dwyane Wade's triple-double in 2003 vs. #11 Kentucky's Aaron Harrison's game-winner in 2014
#3 UCLA's comeback in 2006 vs. #14 VCU tops Kansas in 2011
#7 Michigan State downs No. 1 overall seed Duke in 2019 vs. #10 Loyola Chicago makes the Final Four in 2018
#2 Virginia's Mamadi Diakite's overtime-forcing buzzer-beater against Purdue in 2019 vs. #15 John Lucas III's game-winner in 2004
Final Four & National Championship
#1 Texas Western's national championship in 1966 vs. #16 Villanova's win over No. 1 seed Georgetown in 1985
#8 Syracuse's Hakim Warrick title-sealing block in 2003 vs. #9 Butler's Gordon Hayward's near-game-winning heave in 2010
#5 Michael Jordan's game-winner in 1982 vs. #12 UNLV's rout of Duke in 1990
#4 NC State wins the national title in 1983 vs. #13 Virginia's redemption national title in 2019
#6 Duke ends UNLV's winning streak in 1991 vs. #11 Wisconsin ends Kentucky's perfect season in 2015
#3 Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird in 1979 vs. #14 Bill Walton's 21-for-22 performance in 1993
#7 Kansas' Mario Chalmers' shot in 2008 vs. #10 Indiana's Keith Smart's game-winner in 1987
#2 Villanova's Kris Jenkins' national title-winning buzzer-beater in 2016 vs. #15 Indiana's perfect season in 1976