We're just one set of games away from being down to the final eight, where teams are one win away from reaching their Final Four dreams. These Elite Eight duels have produced some heart wrenching, unforgettable outcomes. Here are my top eight of the past eight years:
1. 2005 Chicago Regional Final
#1 Illinois 90, #3 Arizona 89 OT
One of the greatest college basketball comebacks I can remember seeing with the most on the line. Down 15 with four minutes left, Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head will Illinois to OT and a Final Four berth. Along the way there are unbelievable shots, close calls and one of the best college basketball games you could ever ask to see.
2. 2009 East Regional Final
#3 Villanova 78, #1 Pittsburgh 76
Back-and-forth, back-and-forth between Big East powers. The final six minutes left you gasping for breath, waiting to see how it would unfold. 1-seed Pittsburgh with the senior Levance Fields and the stud sophomore DeJuan Blair trying to finally reach the Final Four. Villanova and its plethora of guards. Tied at 76, it was an unforgettable play with Scottie Reynolds emerging the hero.
3. 2006 Washington, D.C. Regional Final
#11 George Mason 86, #1 UConn 84 OT
It was one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. The 11-seed Cinderella George Mason ran into 1-seed college basketball behemoth UConn in front of a hometown crowd in D.C.…and won. UConn led by future NBA first-round picks Rudy Gay, Marcus Williams and Josh Boone; George Mason by Will Thomas, Jai Lewis and Lamar Butler, guys the power conference schools passed up. Those three along with Tony Skinn and Folarin Campbell made up a starting five that was nearly all of the Patriots’ production.
They overcame a nine-point deficit and took the lead in the final minute. But poor free-throw shooting opened the door for Denham Brown’s reverse layup to propel the Huskies to five more minutes of play. Again in overtime it came down to the final possession but this time with UConn trailing, Brown missed from three. Michigan State, North Carolina, Connecticut all downed by Jim Larranaga’s CAA at-large bunch; the team that wasn’t supposed to win provided an unforgettable run to the final four.
4. 2004 East Rutherford Regional Final
#2 Oklahoma State 64, #1 St. Joe’s 62
As much as it was a game, this was also an ideological struggle…major vs. mid-major. Many thought that 31-3 Big XII champ Oklahoma State deserved a 1-seed over 30-2 A-10 champ St. Joseph’s. One of St. Joe’s most vocal critics, Billy Packer, was the game’s analyst on CBS.
Lucky for all of us, they got a chance to decide it on the court in the final of the East Rutherford region. The two teams did not let anyone down. Jameer Nelson and Delonte West carried the way for the Hawks, while John Lucas III and Joey Graham did the same for the Cowboys. But it was Lucas III who broke the little guys’ heart with a dagger game-winning three.
5. 2005 Austin Regional Final
#5 Michigan State 94, #2 Kentucky 88 20T
Patrick Sparks’ first try at a game-tying three was an airball; his next seemed to bounce endlessly on the rim before finally falling in. After reviewing the play and confirming that Sparks’ toes were just beyond the arc, it was time for overtime in Austin. It took two overtime periods before the fifth seeded Spartans assumed control and booked a ticket to St. Louis.
6. 2008 Midwest Regional Final
#1 Kansas 59, #10 Davidson 57
The figurative little guy Davidson led by the literal little guy Stephen Curry. The Wildcats were brought one game away from the Final Four by Curry’s shooting spectacles in the previous rounds. #10 Davidson stuck with #1 Kansas the whole way and had a chance on the final possession. But Curry couldn’t get free to take the final shot and Jason Richards missed a three at the buzzer, ending Davidson’s dream.
7. 2005 Albuquerque Regional Final
#4 Louisville 93, #7 West Virginia 85 OT
The first of a weekend of unbelievable Elite Eight action saw these future Big East rivals battle out west. 7-seed West Virginia led 38-18 and the hot shooting of Kevin Pittsnogle, Johannes Herber and Mike Gansey looked overwhelming. Though the Moutaineers hit 18 threes, Louisville changed its strategy coming out of the break and found its way back into the game. Larry O’Bannon tied it in regulation and led the Cardinals through OT with the help of Taquan Dean. Beilein’s sharp shooters could not overcome Pitino’s gritty Louisville squad to pull the upset.
8. 2007 East Regional Final
#2 Georgetown 96, #1 North Carolina 84, OT
There’s something about regional finals and East Rutherford (St. Joe's/Oklahoma State '04, Duke/Kentucky '92). Two tradition-laden programs came down to the final minute, when Jonathan Wallace evened it at 81 with a three and Wayne Ellington missed an open would-be game-winner. In overtime, Carolina continued a cold shooting spree that saw the Tarheels convert just one of 23 field goal attempts from 9:56 to go in regulation to :08 left in OT. 15-3 was the OT differential that spurred Georgetown to Atlanta.
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