Most years, today would mark the true beginning of the one of the best 4-day weekend in the sports calendar. The NCAA tournament would tip with 32 first round games spread across 8 sites and two days of wall to wall hoops. Beers would be drank, wings would be eaten and millions of hours of productivity would be lost to the nervous tick of constantly checking the scoreboard.
This is not that year. March Madness is cancelled and you have to get your nachos and wings in a to-go container in many places. Live basketball is hard to come by, but all is not lost. Through the magic of YouTube, you can enjoy the magic of lots (but not all) of tournaments from years past.
You can find a rundown of best games or biggest upsets anywhere, but we here at 18stripes decided to make our own list of best games from each round of the tournament. The catch: We’re only including games with full video from the opening tip. It’s a self-quarantine approved way to pass the next few weeks filled with great games!
For some, you’ll remember where you watched it happen live. For some, hopefully you’ve never even seen highlights of! The first rounds will obviously skew towards bigger upsets, fun stories and buzzer beaters, but there will be plenty of just good, high level hoops along the way. We tried to weight game excitement and general quality with historical perspective and story lines.
So without further delay…
The 16 Best Full Games from the 1st Round
16. #13 Princeton over #4 UCLA – 1996 First Round
Why It’s Here: The game is a bit of a slog, with a 43-41 final, but hey, that’s Princeton basketball for you. The 13-4 upset doesn’t indicate the magnitude of the upset, given that UCLA was the defending champ and basketball royalty. Plus, the defense is great and Princeton’s motion offense is still art. Princeton held UCLA scoreless for the last 6 minutes of the game while erasing a 7 point deficit and then grabbing the final two points just before the horn.
Best Moment: The final bucket, just like the Princeton offense is designed to be run.
15. #14 Weber St over #3 North Carolina – 1999 First Round
Why It’s Here: In one of the greatest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, Harold “The Show” Arceneaux was practically a one-man show while scoring 36 points — leading the Wildcats to a shocking win over the mighty Tar Heels. Arceneaux also hit some key free throws and made a game-saving steal down the stretch. He scored 32 in the next round versus Florida, but Weber State fell short of another upset.
Best Moment: Strangely, it’s the UNC shots that kept going down that provide the best moments here. Weber St had a solid lead for a good chunk of the game, but UNC kept hitting shots to trim the deficit, and Weber St. kept answering. Unfortunately, the end game is full of free throws and checking the clock (Zzzzzzz…) but Weber St. manages to withstand the pressure that the blue blood Tarheels continue to apply.
14. #11 Loyola-Chicago over #6 Miami – 2018 First Round
Why It’s Here: It’s the start of a great run and great story from the #11 seed Loyola Ramblers and Sister Jean, but it also included some good back and forth between the teams and a great shot to finish.
Best Moment: It’s obviously the not-quite-buzzer-beater 3 by Donte Ingram to give the Ramblers the win, but underrated moment in how long the previous free throw miss hangs on the rim to let the drama build.
13. #1 Georgetown over #16 Princeton – 1989 First Round
Why It’s Here: It’s been said that this is the game that made March Madness what it is today. The #16 seed and supposedly overmatched Princeton Tigers gave Georgetown everything they could handle. The tournament had only recently gone to 64 teams and no 15 or 16 seeds had come close, much less won a game. Ultimately, Georgetown ended up advancing to the Elite 8, but not without more excitement than they had hoped for.
Best/Worst Moment: Princeton gets the ball out of a timeout with 15 seconds left, down 1. The final possession demonstrates who Georgetown is, as they block multiple shots and never let Princeton even get the ball to the rim.
12. #15 Lehigh over #2 Duke – 2012 – 2012 First Round
Why It’s Here: Down goes Duke! They were one of two #2 seeds to fall that year (Norfolk St beat Missouri as well). Lehigh battled all game long, with the 5 point margin of victory being their largest margin of the entire game and CJ McCollom entered onto the national stage, scoring 30 points off the bench for the Hawks.
Best Moment: Duke had gone on a 7-0 run to erase a 6 point Lehigh lead with 8 minutes left and everyone started to think “here’s when Duke takes over.” Instead, Mackey McKnight (great name, btw) buried a 3 to retake the lead and Lehigh never trailed again.
11. #15 Santa Clara over #2 Arizona – 1993 First Round
Why It’s Here: Only the 2nd #15 seed to win a game and full game footage from the first, Richmond over Syracuse from two years prior, is nowhere to be found. Future NBA star Steve Nash featured for little known Santa Clara. After Kevin Dunne missed both free throws, Damon Stoudamire’s game-tying three attempt was a good effort while very off balance but rimmed out.
Best Moment: The final sequence of a long three by Arizona, two free throw misses and very nearly a game-tying three by Stoudamire.
10. #10 Davidson over #7 Gonzaga – 2008 First Round
Why It’s Here: Please welcome Steph Curry to the stage. This was the first of Curry’s epic 4 game run that led upstart Davidson to the Elite 8. Curry had 30 points in the 2nd half alone to erase a Gonzaga deficit and get the run started. His trademark style is on display even here with him as a sophomore. Don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last you see of Curry in this series.
Best Moment(s): Pick a Steph Curry bucket. He made 8 threes in the game and by the end of the second half they were giving him backdoor layups rather than let him find an open spot on the perimeter to spot up.
9. #14 Old Dominion over #3 Villanova (3 OT) – 1995 First Round
Why It’s Here: A big upset of a highly seeded blue blood is always fun, but when you add 3 OTs, this game starts to climb the list. Old Dominion fell behind repeatedly, but kept finding ways to claw back into the game. Also, for those that love old school hideous uniforms, Villanova’s shorts are not to be missed.
Best Moment:Winning in 3OTs is fun, but the look Old Dominion got after inbounding the ball with 2.6 seconds left is impressive and would have been a great buzzer beater to replay through history. Alas, it rimmed out and they needed 10 more minutes to decide this one.
8. #13 Valparaiso over #4 Ole Miss – 1998 First Round
Why It’s Here: The buzzer beater and ensuing dogpile is one of the more replayed March buzzer beaters. Valpo threw a long distance inbound pass and then got a second pass in, hitting a cutting Bryce Drew for the game winner. The game itself is probably underrated and overshadowed by the buzzer beater, as Ole Miss/Valpo traded leads for most of the afternoon before adding the great finish.
Best Moment: The buzzer beater and the ensuing dogpile on the court. True buzzer beaters are rare (see Loyola-Miami), so getting to see a pure court storming after is always fun.
7. #15 Hampton over #2 Iowa St – 2001 First Round
Why It’s Here: Another big upset, but this one comes with a late game comeback and the bonus of seeing Boise’s incredible weird basketball court paint job. Iowa St held a 9 point lead with 7 minutes left before Hampton got down to business. What seems like a game that’s well in hand turns interesting quickly and you can feel the crowd start to take notice.
Best Moment: One of the Hampton players picking up and carrying his head coach around the court as he kicks his arms and legs in celebration.
6. #14 Northwestern St over #3 Iowa – 2006 First Round
Why It’s Here: This might be the highest degree of difficulty on a game winning shot on the list. Iowa was cruising multiple different times in this game, opening up a 14 point lead early in the game and a 17 point lead in the second half. Both times, the Northwestern St. Demons managed to get back to even, the second time setting up the finish. Jermaine Wallace hit a corner 3 while falling away and into the sideline, leaving Iowa only 0.5 seconds left.
Underrated moment: Iowa’s look at the hoop on a full court pass and heave with just 0.5 seconds left is way better than most teams get with more time.
5. #12 Arkansas Little-Rock over #5 Purdue – 2016 First Round
Why It’s Here: While it’s merely a 12 over 5 upset, this game made up for the lack of bracket-shock with a frantic comeback and big shots. Arkansas Little Rock (coached by current Texas Tech coach Chris Beard) erased a 14 point deficit in the final 5 minutes of the game, including a 3 by Josh Hagins with 4 seconds left to tie it at 70 and send it to the first overtime. Hagins was at it again in overtime, getting a game tying basket with 18 seconds left in the first extra period, before winning it in the second OT.
Best Moment: The 3 to tie at the end of regulation, and probably should include the 5 minutes of big shots immediately before it.
4. #6 NC State over #11 Pepperdine – 1983 First Round
Why It’s here: This game nearly derailed NC State’s eventual national title run before it even got started. Trailing by 6 points with under a minute left (and no 3 point line to bail them out), Pepperdine missed two seperate front ends of the 1-and-1, allowing NC State back into the game, and NC State was able to survive in double overtime.
Worst Moment: Ugh, free throws.
3. #14 Bucknell over #3 Kansas – 2005 First Round
Why It’s Here: The finish was obviously great, but there was an excitement throughout most of this game that felt like it could happen. It was the first big upset in multiple years in the tournament (no 1/2/3 seeds lost in 2002-2004 and Kansas was the only one in 2005) and Bucknell, a school nobody had heard of, slowly made converts of people who assumed there was no way they could pull it off.
Best Moment: The final bucket Bucknell gets is great, but the 3 off a pin-down screen to put Bucknell up 53-50 with 5:30 to play is one of those moments that converts skeptics to believers. I remember watching this game in my dorm room, and that was the moment we all thought “this could happen!”
2. #15 Florida Gulf Coast over #2 Georgetown – 2013 First Round
Why It’s Here: Dunk City, baby! #15 seeds have won before, so it’s shocking, but not THAT shocking when a #2 seed goes down. At the time of this game, it had already happened 6 other times. But most win by hitting a bunch of 3s, playing decent defense and catching their opponent on a bad day. #15 seeds aren’t supposed to do THAT. Florida Gulf Coast dunked and alley ooped their way to an easy win against heavy favorite Georgetown (and again two days later) in a style that is rarely seen from an underdog.
Best Moment: Pick a lob / dunk combo. Any of em. The final one, when the game is already decided is a lot of fun, but the choice is yours. Tell me which one you pick in the comments below!
1. UMBC defeats Virginia – 2018 First Round
Why it’s here: You could argue it’s not the best game – once UMBC pulls away, VIrginia doesn’t even make that run that makes everyone start to get nervous. But it doesn’t really matter. It’s the first time a #1 seed fell, and UMBC did it in style. Every additional clang of a 3 from Virginia is painful, every additional spinning layup from K.J. Maura and Jarius Lyles ramps the crowd to a higher frenzy. It’s even better if you also add in the last-second 3 by Lyles to lift UMBC over Vermont in the America East championship game to even get them into the dance.
Best Moment: The run of 3s to open the 2nd half. Even in the short clip, you can feel the energy as the crowd starts to believe, as the Retrievers covert a 21-21 halftime score into a 38-24 lead. From there, it’s just euphoria as every additional bucket goes down. Even better is reliving the UMBC Athletics twitter feed from the night alongside it.
It's v v loud in here, either cuz they just restocked the hot dogs or because we are up 45-29 with 11:39 to go
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 17, 2018
Honorable Mention:
#14 Georgia State over #3 Baylor – 2015 First Round (Highlights)
Why It’s Here: It belongs in the main list if not for the fact that we can’t find the full game. Crazy comeback, key missed free throws, big shots and a coach falling out of his chair. People had been talking about Baylor as a legit contender, so this one made waves.
#11 Northern Iowa over #6 Texas – 2016 First Round (Highlights)
Why It’s Here: A good back and forth game, but the real headline is Texas hitting the game tying bucket with 2.7 seconds left. Northern Iowa had already blown a 16 point lead (something that would haunt them again 2 days later), but not to worry. That was all Paul Jesperson w9uld need as he banked home the half court winner to advance to the next round.
#14 Ohio over #3 Georgetown – 2010 First Round (Highlights)
A game that weirdly seems erased from internet archives, #14 Ohio arrived out of a very down year in the MAC. Georgetown was flying high and one of the least trendy “upset watch picks”. Much like Florida-Gulf Coast and UMBC, Ohio spent most of the 40 minutes just simply being the better team. It’s one of the stranger results from NCAA First Round history.
Big thangs to PJ Gaughan, ndroyalsfan, GoldenIsThyFame, Andy Roberts and the entire 18Stripes basketball team for their help making the list and finding all the videos!
I always tell the story when it comes up, but I told everyone in my office (I was a GA at the time) that I would bet my life on Georgetown winning in 2010 over any other first-round game, regardless of seed. For one thing, I was extremely high on the Hoyas that year. And as you note, it was a pretty bad year for the MAC. On top of that, Ohio hadn’t even been good in the MAC; they had to beat my alma mater, in overtime, on the road, to even reach the proper MAC Tournament in Cleveland and go on a Cinderella run there. And then they went out and just buzz-sawed Georgetown from the opening tip. An utterly bewildering result at the time that grew more reasonable when it got to be clear that JT3, for whatever reason, had lost all ability to coach in the tournament.
Thank you for this awesome series idea that we obviously all need right now!
Apparently Norfolk St-Missouri’s full game video was just posted. That also probably could have made the list…
The Florida Gulf Coast Team is the most fun I’ve ever had rooting for a team I didn’t previously care about. They dunked like 20 times on Georgetown. They were up by 20 as a 15 seed over a 2 seed, let Georgetown cut it to 7…and then still threw a 1-handed lob to a 1-handed alley-oop. That was perhaps the most badass thing I’ve ever seen from a college basketball team.
I can’t believe that there isn’t a Irish v Stoopid Syracuse Orange game on this list. Jim Boeheim is horrible. He might be the most over-rated 959-win coach on the planet. Go Irish!