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Iconic Plays That Changed March Madness History
March Madness Always Delivers Excitement but These Plays Will Never Be Forgotten
Excitement, Talent, and History Makers
Ask basketball fans about their favorite moments in March Madness tournaments, and chances are you’ll get a wide array of answers focusing on one special play. If you asked me, I’d point to Mario Chalmers’ season-saving 3-point shot for Kansas in 2008 against Memphis in the championship game.
Tomorrow will make it 1️⃣5️⃣ years since Mario Chalmers hit The Shot for KU. Kansas ended up beating Memphis in OT😯🎉 pic.twitter.com/l74JuMWzmF
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) April 6, 2023
But that shot only forced overtime before Kansas won it. There have been bigger plays because there have undeniably been a ton of great March Madness highlights over the years. Someone should make a “Best of One Shining Moment” montage featuring the most iconic plays.
When Basketball Became Art
Here are four plays we’d definitely include that changed March Madness history forever by creating champions, shaping legacies, and leaving their imprint on the game for decades to come.
The Shot That Started It All
Long before his game-winning shot to sink the Utah Jazz for his sixth ring in the 1998 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan was just a freshman at the University of North Carolina in the 1981-82 season.
But in the national championship game against a good Georgetown defense led by future NBA star Patrick Ewing, it was Jordan who delivered the game-winning jump shot with 17 seconds left in a 63-62 win that put his name on the sports world map.
WATCH a young Michael Jordan in 1986, narrate the final sequence of his shot against Georgetown in the National Championship.
James Worthy knew. pic.twitter.com/nyviYfzBdN
— Hoops Nostalgia (@HoopsNostalgia) March 30, 2021
In fact, in Jordan’s own words, that’s when he stopped being “Mike Jordan” and turned into the Michael Jordan we would come to know as arguably the best ever to do it.
Championship Moments That Live Forever
There have been more dramatic finishes than what Jordan did in 1982. Just one year later in 1983, NC State’s Lorenzo Charles made perhaps the most iconic dunk in college basketball history when he slammed home his teammate’s airball for a game-winning dunk to beat the March Madness odds and upset Houston by a 54-52 final:
April 4, 1983: Lorenzo Charles dunks it in as time expires and NC State wins the National Championship over Houston 54-52.
pic.twitter.com/PZxYBCdj3K— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) April 5, 2024
Charles’ dunk came with 0:01 left on the clock. Fans would have to wait 33 more years before a national championship game was won on a true last-second shot. In 2016, Villanova was tied at 74 with North Carolina before Kris Jenkins sunk a clutch 3-point shot to win the game on a buzzer-beater after he released the ball with 0.6 seconds left.
Kris Jenkins sinks a game-winning three-point buzzer beater to lead Villanova over North Carolina in the 2016 National Championship game and give the Wildcats their second national title.
How about the guy in charge of confetti! He did not disappoint! #PulsePredict 🪙🎲🪙 pic.twitter.com/BgxY3bhbsv
— MaxPayne (@niteplay2) March 27, 2024
Give the confetti operator a raise to make that moment all the more chaotic. That’s how Villanova won its second title ever.
Time to Shine
Oddly enough, one could argue the most iconic shot by a champion came in a game that was only in the Elite Eight round in 1992. The Duke Blue Devils were looking to repeat, but they found themselves in a tough situation, trailing No. 2 Kentucky 103-102 in overtime with just 2.1 seconds left.
Grant Hill threw three-quarters of the length of the court pass to Christian Laettner, who dribbled once, turned, and hit one of the greatest shots ever in a 104-103 walk-off win. He was 10-for-10 shooting in that game.
March 28, 1992: The Christian Laettner Shot.
Elite 8, Philadelphia, Duke 104 Kentucky 103 OT.
pic.twitter.com/IRix6bfiSd— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) March 29, 2024
The game was ranked No. 1 on several publications lists of the greatest college basketball games ever. Duke went on to easily win the championship game that year, and it’s still the most replayed play in Duke history.
Cinderella Stories Written in One Play
March Madness is also remembered for the Cinderella runs, and no one may have done it more dramatically than No. 13 Valparaiso when they upset No. 4 Ole Miss in 1998. Bryce Drew made a 23-foot 3-point buzzer-beater to shock the tournament in a 70-69 win.
20 years ago today, Bryce Drew hit “The Shot” to give 13-seed Valparaiso the upset win over 4-seed Ole Miss
For some, Ole Miss was one of the trendy sleeper Final Four pick out of the Midwest bracket. pic.twitter.com/bvEWIRKinV
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) March 13, 2018
Drew later went on to coach his alma mater.
