As the 2010’s decade is coming to a close, there were many great college basketball games to remember. Here were some of the best.
5. Kansas vs. Michigan-2013 Sweet 16
Throughout this entire game, nobody thought that Michigan had a chance to win the game. Michigan trailed Kansas by eight points with 1:14 left in the game. Michigan guard Trey Burke was able to send the game to overtime with a deep three with five seconds left. In overtime, Michigan outplayed Kansas and won the game 87-85. Mitch McGary led Michigan in scoring with 25 points while Burke scored 23. Without these two, Michigan likely wouldn’t have made a Final Four Run.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-QwnxC7y7Q
4. Arkansas-Little Rock vs. Purdue-2016Â First Round of NCAA Tournament
Heading into this game, this was not predicted as being an upset at all. Arkansas-Little Rock trailed by as many as 14 points with less than five minutes left. Purdues best player, Vincent Edwards, was unable to stop Josh Hagins. Hagins, who was the leading scorer in the game with 31 points, made multiple deep three-pointers late in the game to lead Little Rock to come back and tie the game. The game went to two overtimes and Little Rock was able to pull off the upset in the final seconds.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WQLgBZx78
3. Kansas vs. Oklahoma-January 4th, 2016
Heading into this game, many people were expecting it to be one of the best of the year. Those expectation weren’t wrong at all. Kansas was ranked #1 and Oklahoma was ranked #2. Fans usually don’t get that in a conference game. Both teams, at some point in the game, trailed by double digits. Buddy Hield had one of the best games of his college career. Hield led thee Sooners in scoring with 46 points. Kansas was led by Perry Ellis, who scored 27. At the end of regulation, Khadeem Lattin missed a free throw with two seconds left which would’ve won the game for the Sooners. All three overtimes were back and forth. Oklahoma fell apart late in the third overtime and Kansas took advantage. The Jayhawks won the game 109-106.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY-v5nXs8es
2. UMBC vs. Virginia-2018 First Round of NCAA Tournament
Anybody who watches any type of sport probably knows about this game. No 16 seed had ever beaten a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament ever before this game. UMBC was unstoppable on offense. Teams usually don’t score 74 points against Virginia. But the Retrievers shocked the world. Jairus Lyles led the Retrievers in scoring with 28 points. Watching the game, when Virginia would score a basket you would think they were going to go on a run. But every time Virginia scored UMBC would score again. UMBC went onto win the game 74-54 and this was probably the most surprising game of college basketball history.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuHVvSsNY2E
1. Villanova vs. UNC-2016 National Championship
Villanova is always well coached in the NCAA Tournament. But in this National Championship, Jay Wright showed why he is one of the best coaches in college basketball. Villanova had a 10 point lead with five minutes left, but UNC battled back. Marcus Paige made an off balanced three pointer with six seconds left to tie the game. After a timeout, Villanova then ran one of the best plays that I have ever seen in a late moment of a game. Ryan Arcidiacono set Kris Jenkins up with a wide open three, which he made at the buzzer. This three pointer gave Villanova the 77-74 win. An ending like that in a National Championship is what college basketball fans dream of.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTThyQPoXxY
