March Madness History: Best moments in NCAA Division I Men's, Women's Basketball Tournament

NBC Sports

19-03-2025

Anything can happen in March Madness.
Game-winning shots that live forever. Players that become household names. Teams from out of nowhere that grab our attention (and set our brackets on fire).
They send us on perhaps the biggest emotional roller-coaster in sports. Name any human state of mind. Joy, sorrow, exhilaration, heartbreak - it's all to be found here, all on the court.
What will this year's NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments bring us? Only time will tell. But time has told us plenty already, too.
Let's look back at some of the greatest moments in March Madness history – at least, so far…
Men's 1992: Duke vs Kentucky - Christian Laettner's 'The Shot'
When you think 'March Madness buzzer-beater,' chances are that this is the one that pops in your head.
A tense overtime between Duke and Kentucky in the 1992 Men's Elite Eight saw the Wildcats take a 103-102 lead with 2.1 seconds left, thanks to Sean Woods' runner over Duke's Christian Laettner. But after calling timeout, Duke drew up one final play.
As the referee blew his whistle to resume the game, Grant Hill was under the far basket. Hill threw a 79-foot inbound pass down the court, which Laettner caught. What happened next has gone down in history.
Duke's 104-103 triumph propelled them into the Men's Final Four, where they beat Indiana and Michigan to become National Champions.
Women's 1994: North Carolina vs Louisiana Tech - Charlotte Smith's buzzer-beater
After Pam Thomas' go-ahead jumper gave Louisiana Tech a two-point lead over North Carolina with :16 left in the 1994 Women's National Championship, the Tar Heels missed their shot on the other end and scrambled for the ensuing rebound.
They only avoided disaster after a jump ball was called and the possession arrow went in their favor - but now, just 0.7 seconds remained on the clock. And after calling timeout to draw up a play, they had to call another when said play was covered by the Lady Techsters.
But they still had just enough time. Stephanie Lawrence sent the inbounds pass to an open Charlotte Smith, who then made a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give UNC a 60-59 win and its first NCAA women's basketball national title.
Men's 1982: North Carolina vs Georgetown - Michael Jordan's legend is born
An absolute classic spawned the absolute GOAT.
With :16 left in the 1982 Men's National Championship game, a 19-year-old North Carolina freshman named Michael Jordan buried a go-ahead jumper to give the Tar Heels a 63-62 lead over Georgetown.
An errant pass by the Hoyas then ended up in the hands of Jordan's teammate and future Lakers legend James Worthy to effectively seal the game and the national title for UNC.
Mary Omatiga,
Women's 2017: Mississippi State vs UConn - The queens are dethroned
It's impossible to talk about women's college basketball without mentioning the excellence of UConn.
The Huskies have won an NCAA-record 11 women's national titles overall, and entering their 2017 Women's Final Four matchup against Mississippi State, they put both their pursuit of a fifth consecutive title and a 111-game win streak on the line.
It was going to take something amazing to make UConn finally stumble. Sure enough, that's what happened in an overtime thriller in Dallas.
After a flagrant foul on Mississippi State, the Huskies made two free throws to tie the game at 64-64 and got the ball back. But UConn then turned the ball over with 12.3 seconds to go.
The Bulldogs would get the last shot. They made it count. After Dominique Dillingham brought the ball up court, she passed back to Morgan William near midcourt. William then penetrated the right side of the lane, stopped, and fired a high arching shot that fell into the net as the buzzer went off.
Mississippi State had delivered an all-time upset. And as the Bulldogs celebrated, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma simply shook his head and grinned. All good things…
Men's 2018: UMBC vs Virginia - The game that changed two programs
Just because something's never happened before doesn't mean that it can't happen.
Don't believe that? Then believe the 2018 University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers, who delivered the first-ever win by a No. 16 seed over a No. 1 seed in the history of men's March Madness.
UMBC didn't just beat No. 1 seed Virginia, but beat them convincingly. After the game went to halftime tied at 21-21, the Retrievers took control in the second half with steady shooting that overcame what had been the nation's top scoring defense.
In turn, the Cavaliers' offense went cold, and an improbable upset became reality before our eyes: UMBC 74, Virginia 54.
The game changed UMBC's perception forever, both on and off the court. But it also changed Virginia and head coach Tony Bennett, who used the loss as a chance to pull himself and his team closer together.
One year later, in 2019, Bennett and the Cavaliers were cutting down the nets as National Champions.
Women's 1998: Harvard vs Stanford - The first '16 over 1' upset
As seismic as UMBC's 2018 win over Virginia was, the NCAA women's tournament had already experienced its first - and to this day, only - '16 over 1' moment.
20 years before, in fact.
No. 16 seed Harvard traveled 3,000 miles to face No. 1 seed Stanford on their home court to start the 1998 NCAA women's tournament. Stanford had reached the three previous Women's Final Fours (1995, 1996, 1997) and had won 59 consecutive games at home.
But Harvard wasn't scared, and a tight game ensued. With less than a minute to go, Harvard was leading 66-65 but desperately needed a big shot.
Enter Suzie Miller, who'd given Harvard their slim, one-point edge not long before. Miller got open in the corner, and with :46 left, she buried a 3-pointer to effectively topple the mighty Cardinal.
Harvard went on to win, 71-67. Two days later, they lost their second-round game to Arkansas. But the 1998 Crimson women's place in history endures.
Nate Ryan,
Men's 1983: NC State vs Houston - Lorenzo Charles' dunk that delivered a title
A tight 1983 Men's National Championship game between NC State and Houston's vaunted 'Phi Slama Jama' squad ended in desperation, then elation, for the Wolfpack.
With :44 left and the game tied at 52-52, NC State looked to hold the ball for a final shot attempt. But with Houston employing a half-court trap defense, the Wolfpack was forced to pass the ball around just to keep the Cougars from a potential game-changing steal.
Eventually, the ball came to Dereck Whittenburg, who heaved a prayer from long distance. The shot was falling short of the basket, but teammate Lorenzo Charles caught it and dunked it in with :02 left to give the Wolfpack a 54-52 win and the national title.
Charles' dunk, as well as NC State head coach Jim Valvano's run around the court in celebration, have been replayed thousands of times ever since.
Women's 2006: Tennessee vs Army - Candace Parker's history-making dunks
Before Candace Parker came to Tennessee, she made headlines for winning the co-ed slam dunk contest at the 2004 McDonald's High School All-American Game.
Nearly two years after that contest, as a freshman for the Lady Vols, she made even more headlines after throwing down the first – and second – slam dunks ever recorded at the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Early in Tennessee's first-round game against Army, the 6-foot-4 Parker got out on a fast break, raised the ball with her right hand and slammed it home to the thrill of the crowd in Norfolk, Virginia.
Later in the second half, with Tennessee in command of the game, Parker got another opportunity. She got a pass while cutting to the basket and again, she delivered a one-handed jam with her right hand.
Men's 2016: Villanova vs North Carolina - Kris Jenkins lives the dream
Countless little kids have dreamed it up and played it out on their driveways: Making the shot that wins the National Championship.
In the 2016 men's national title game, Villanova's Kris Jenkins did it for real.
After North Carolina tied the game, 74-74, with a three-pointer by Marcus Paige, Villanova had 4.7 seconds and one more chance to win the game in regulation.
Ryan Arciadiacono took the inbounds pass up the court before passing the ball off to Jenkins with less than two seconds left. Jenkins set up from three-point range and fired.
The buzzer blared. The shot went in. The crowd erupted. And after a boom from the rafters, confetti rained down.
Hollywood couldn't have scripted it any better.
Women's 2023 & 2024: Iowa vs LSU - Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese fuel sport's rise
Call them the catalysts.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have both played pivotal roles in the ongoing surge of popularity for women's basketball, both at the collegiate and professional level.
After impressive collegiate careers, Clark and Reese have established themselves as stars in the WNBA. Both are set to enter their second seasons in the 'W' after earning All-Star honors as rookies in 2024, with Clark herself claiming 2024 Rookie of the Year honors.
But they'll always be intertwined thanks to their two showdowns in the 2023 and 2024 NCAA women's tournaments - games that will be looked back upon as special moments in the sport's history.
In the 2023 Women's National Championship, Reese and LSU pulled away from Clark and Iowa in the 2nd quarter. They held the Hawkeyes at bay from there to capture the Tigers' first-ever women's basketball national title, with Reese being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
A year later, LSU and Iowa met again in the 2024 Women's Elite 8. Clark delivered a stellar performance in the rematch, posting 41 points and 12 assists to lead the Hawkeyes past the Tigers and into another Women's Final Four. (The Hawkeyes would ultimately fall to undefeated South Carolina in the National Championship game.)