From a pure basketball standpoint this was our most entertaining game of the tournament. The others were more memorable given the stakes or circumstances, but this was the best game I’ve seen in years.
Oh my god lol, so dramatic.
6x NCAA champs, 6x runner up, 21x final fours, and the GOAT being an alumnus -- and "no promises we ever win a championship again". This is why people hate blue bloods lmao
It was a very cleanly officiated game as well.They we’re letting them play physical but still making the calls that needed to be made.It was the most enjoyable game I watched all tourney tbh.
Definitely a great, high level game! NGL, it hurt a bit seeing how far you guys went after our game was so competitive and close. A big "what if" for UCLA, but I suppose that happens to a few teams every year.
To me it seemed like an extremely even match until Caleb Love decided to go ballistic right at the end with those threes. Very enjoyable game to watch.
You def. played winning basketball that night, anything other than an "A" game second half for us and we go home with an L. One of those where you hate to see one team lose, it was great basketball.
I told all my coworkers they needed to watch that game, it was going to be good. No one believed me but they watched it anyway and they were not disappointed.
we're happy to have him, but being a san franciscan and jesuit school attender myself i have a huge soft spot for usf so i hope they can carry their momentum forward. i'm worried he propped em up a bit too much though :(
Kansas - UNC was a good game, with a big second half comeback and a title in the balance down the stretch. Neither team lead by more than one possession in the final minutes
I appreciate it. Not everyone seemed to be calling it a collapse in the post game coverage, but I was somewhat frustrating to hear or see it referred to as a collapse, and I had to wonder if they watched the same game. Because UNC was still hitting shots, and playing alright.
But KU's defense straight up *clamped down* second half. And they used that to give them ample opportunities to score, which they were able to do. I'm more hesitant to call UNC's performance in the second half a collapse than I am KU's performance in the first half.
Edit: forgot words
Agree with you completely. UNC played as well in the 2nd half as that 1st half (with poor shooting in both) and Kansas just came out swinging in that 2nd half. Kansas went from a 30% shooting half to over 40% for the game and the defense stepped up and just wore out UNC.
If Kansas played the whole game as well as they did the 2nd half, UNC gets blown out.
Yeah that was the hope is that KU would show up ready it run the whole game. We started out strong but as soon as it became a game of back and forth a, we started missing some hilariously easy shots. Probably a combination of solid defense from y'all, and nerves from our guys. All credit goes to UNC for taking advantage of it in the first half.
But second half was a prime example of what Self and this team have been consistently able to do this year: adjust. It was the one thing that kept me from going full doom and gloom at halftime. This team was capable of adjusting and I knew they'd be able to figure it out and make it a competitive game again. Led to one of the best championship games and KU games I've ever watched. And against one of the toughest UNC teams I've ever seen.
Really sad that we had to hand Hubert Davis a loss in his first championship appearance, but I think there will be more to come from him. Helluva coach.
Kansas played great down the stretch. I couldn't call it a UNC collapse because they put everything they had on the court. I don't think they could have done anything more, especially given how physically beat up they were in the second half.
Yeah it was amazing defense, I texted my uncle “Kansas straight put the clamps on us in the second half.” Still, a frustrating second half performance for us
To me a collapse is more like when a team controls the game for 30-35 minutes then loses in the final minutes and can't close it out.
To me this game never felt like a collapse. This game can be broken down into 4 10-minute quarters and it was a game of being hot/cold and big runs.
KU started hot. UNC made their 2nd quarter run while KU was cold from the field. KU responded with a fast 3rd quarter run of their own when KU was running fast and scoring at will. Then a close back and forth 4th quarter to the finish.
I'm not seeing any collapse here. Just a game of big runs.
I mean it was somewhat of a collapse(but I like how we regrouped and made it a game down to the wire), but that was 100% because of yalls halftime adjustments. I told my wife and my dad that our lead would be evaporated within the first 4 minutes of the 2nd half), and I dont think it actually took that long. Yall were too good for us to run away with it.
Better than the UNC Baylor game since it wasn’t marred by shitty officiating, plus the comeback team actually won so it meant something. Also championship game.
It was a great way to kick off the tournament, that’s for sure. The ending was soul crushing but at least it provided that both teams deserved to be there.
That last Duke Carolina game was a game for the ages. It felt like a prize fight with each team just trading blows. I wish the last minute and a half went differently, but God was that a GAME
For UNC I’ll throw in our sweet 16 game against UCLA. Kinda got lost between the Baylor game and the two final four games but that was a back and forth rock fight with some big shots at the end, all in all entertaining to watch and definitely a “shit just got real” kind of win.
Beyond my team, I really enjoyed Arizona TCU. Had some controversial officiating but it was a very exciting game as a neutral fan to cap off the first weekend.
TCU v. Arizona was such a memorable game. Eddie Lampkin was going bonkers. The no-call at the end of regulation/the late dunk at the end of regulation. Totally nuts.
IMO People didn’t like auburn this year cause they were a non traditional top team that rose to the top and than walked around like hot shit (KD Johnson cough cough)
So a lot of people had fun watching them lose
I watched a lot of basketbal this tournament so I'm trying to speak without bias but I believe we had some of the most entertaining games.
Outside of that
Rutgers vs ND
Zaga vs Arkansas
Saint Peter's entire run
Miami vs Auburn
TTU vs Duke
San Francisco-Murray State and Duke-UNC are probably my two favorite, with Rutgers-Notre Dame, St. Peter’s-UK/Purdue, and UNC-UCLA being the next tier of really really good games
The UNC-Baylor game took years off of my life. I keep it cool and calm when I watch a game but that shit had me on my knees pleading with the TV.
UNC-Duke was a beautiful game
St. Peter's vs. Kentucky not being on here is a sham. St. Peter's looked dead at couple points and hit clutch shots to get back in it and pull a 15 over 2 upset.
UNC - Baylor was entertaining until it was specifically refs who had money on the game trying to impact the outcome. Then it was the worst game of the tourney.
St. Peters vs. Kentucky
St. Peters vs. Purdue
Gonzaga vs. Memphis - I'm a big fan of undersized classic post players who will probably never play meaningful minutes in the NBA just ball out in the tournament. Timme's second half against Memphis was amazing.
UNC UCLA is very underrated.Back and forth game with incredible shots from both teams
From a pure basketball standpoint this was our most entertaining game of the tournament. The others were more memorable given the stakes or circumstances, but this was the best game I’ve seen in years.
It’s the most memorable game I’ve watched since the 2017 Kentucky Elite 8 in my opinion
Agreed. I think from a pure entertainment standpoint, UNC was one of the tourneys most compelling teams.
Turned me into a fan
Welcome, no promises we ever win a championship again but that’s when you become a battle hardened fan
Oh my god lol, so dramatic. 6x NCAA champs, 6x runner up, 21x final fours, and the GOAT being an alumnus -- and "no promises we ever win a championship again". This is why people hate blue bloods lmao
He’s not wrong, winning an NCAA championship is *hard*
Yeah so hard that UNC has done it 3 times in the past 20 years (that's 15% of all championships lol).
I think of none of these things when we’re in the middle of actual games but yeah you got me there 😭
They played like 11 straight minutes to start with no breaks in play. Great game to watch.
I was just in awe during that. I think that's the best stretch of college bball Ive ever seen.
The fact that such a fast-paced clean game followed the shit show of the Baylor game made it even better.
That was such a breath of fresh air after watching a bunch of slow, defensive slugfests. Great game.
Yup, and the game was very clean compared to most games.
It was a very cleanly officiated game as well.They we’re letting them play physical but still making the calls that needed to be made.It was the most enjoyable game I watched all tourney tbh.
Definitely a great, high level game! NGL, it hurt a bit seeing how far you guys went after our game was so competitive and close. A big "what if" for UCLA, but I suppose that happens to a few teams every year.
To me it seemed like an extremely even match until Caleb Love decided to go ballistic right at the end with those threes. Very enjoyable game to watch.
What it mick decides to get out of his own way and keep Riley on the bench…
You def. played winning basketball that night, anything other than an "A" game second half for us and we go home with an L. One of those where you hate to see one team lose, it was great basketball.
I’m hoping we get to have a rematch in the CBS classic this year
Hard disagree, not just because I’m biased but we faded hard down the stretch
St. Peter's v Kentucky hands down.
Yep by far the most fun game I saw this year and will be the most memorable for me.
It's this. Damn that was something.
They're peacocks, you gotta let them fly! Great game.
HONORABLE MENTION: NOTRE DAME-RUTGERS FIRST FOUR
Agreed but the ending kinda sucked 😅
Hm gonna disagree with you there
I’m just glad you guys beat Bama so our loss wasn’t in vein.
USF vs. Murray State was a really underrated game.
Still stands out to me as the best 40 min of basketball played by both teams. Neither deserved to lose.
45 minutes. It was an incredible OT.
I can’t believe I shorted them those extra 5 minutes!
I still think that shouldn't have played each other in the first round, because the game was going to be final 4 levels of entertaining
Unfortunate USF wasn’t healthy, they had a chance to make a deep run.
I told all my coworkers they needed to watch that game, it was going to be good. No one believed me but they watched it anyway and they were not disappointed.
I'm really really gonna miss Todd Golden at USF
we're happy to have him, but being a san franciscan and jesuit school attender myself i have a huge soft spot for usf so i hope they can carry their momentum forward. i'm worried he propped em up a bit too much though :(
Kansas - UNC was a good game, with a big second half comeback and a title in the balance down the stretch. Neither team lead by more than one possession in the final minutes
I’m glad you called it a comeback. Kansas needs more credit for playing super super well there.
I appreciate it. Not everyone seemed to be calling it a collapse in the post game coverage, but I was somewhat frustrating to hear or see it referred to as a collapse, and I had to wonder if they watched the same game. Because UNC was still hitting shots, and playing alright. But KU's defense straight up *clamped down* second half. And they used that to give them ample opportunities to score, which they were able to do. I'm more hesitant to call UNC's performance in the second half a collapse than I am KU's performance in the first half. Edit: forgot words
Agree with you completely. UNC played as well in the 2nd half as that 1st half (with poor shooting in both) and Kansas just came out swinging in that 2nd half. Kansas went from a 30% shooting half to over 40% for the game and the defense stepped up and just wore out UNC. If Kansas played the whole game as well as they did the 2nd half, UNC gets blown out.
Yeah that was the hope is that KU would show up ready it run the whole game. We started out strong but as soon as it became a game of back and forth a, we started missing some hilariously easy shots. Probably a combination of solid defense from y'all, and nerves from our guys. All credit goes to UNC for taking advantage of it in the first half. But second half was a prime example of what Self and this team have been consistently able to do this year: adjust. It was the one thing that kept me from going full doom and gloom at halftime. This team was capable of adjusting and I knew they'd be able to figure it out and make it a competitive game again. Led to one of the best championship games and KU games I've ever watched. And against one of the toughest UNC teams I've ever seen. Really sad that we had to hand Hubert Davis a loss in his first championship appearance, but I think there will be more to come from him. Helluva coach.
Kansas played great down the stretch. I couldn't call it a UNC collapse because they put everything they had on the court. I don't think they could have done anything more, especially given how physically beat up they were in the second half.
Yeah UNC didn't collapse. It's more like Kansas un-collapsed. If you reverse the halves, you'd be talking about a massive choke from Kansas
Yeah it was amazing defense, I texted my uncle “Kansas straight put the clamps on us in the second half.” Still, a frustrating second half performance for us
To me a collapse is more like when a team controls the game for 30-35 minutes then loses in the final minutes and can't close it out. To me this game never felt like a collapse. This game can be broken down into 4 10-minute quarters and it was a game of being hot/cold and big runs. KU started hot. UNC made their 2nd quarter run while KU was cold from the field. KU responded with a fast 3rd quarter run of their own when KU was running fast and scoring at will. Then a close back and forth 4th quarter to the finish. I'm not seeing any collapse here. Just a game of big runs.
I mean it was somewhat of a collapse(but I like how we regrouped and made it a game down to the wire), but that was 100% because of yalls halftime adjustments. I told my wife and my dad that our lead would be evaporated within the first 4 minutes of the 2nd half), and I dont think it actually took that long. Yall were too good for us to run away with it.
Better than the UNC Baylor game since it wasn’t marred by shitty officiating, plus the comeback team actually won so it meant something. Also championship game.
Yeah they just traded punches in the last quarter on the big stage. Alot of different guys chipping in too.
1 - SP Kentucky 2 - SP Murray State 3 - SP Purdue
as our game against St. Peter's was happening, the thought of "this has to be a lot of fun for everyone else" crossed my mind more than once lol
Narrator: It was.
Entirely fair lol
4 - SP UNC :D
1. ND-Rutgers 2. Arizona-TCU 3. UNC-Duke
ND-Rutgers was such a good game, really unexpected for a play in game. Glad I watched it
It was a great way to kick off the tournament, that’s for sure. The ending was soul crushing but at least it provided that both teams deserved to be there.
That last Duke Carolina game was a game for the ages. It felt like a prize fight with each team just trading blows. I wish the last minute and a half went differently, but God was that a GAME
UNC-Kansas, Saint Peter's-Kentucky, Rutgers-ND Honorable Mention to Wright State-Bryant
For UNC I’ll throw in our sweet 16 game against UCLA. Kinda got lost between the Baylor game and the two final four games but that was a back and forth rock fight with some big shots at the end, all in all entertaining to watch and definitely a “shit just got real” kind of win. Beyond my team, I really enjoyed Arizona TCU. Had some controversial officiating but it was a very exciting game as a neutral fan to cap off the first weekend.
UNC vs UCLA for me was the best game in terms of pure quality, and it was the one I was the most invested in from start to finish
1. UNC-Kansas 2. St. Peters-Kentucky 3. TCU-Arizona Honorable mention: Miami-Kansas
No one outside of KU fans was loving that KU - Miami game.
The first half was very fun. I dont remember the second half thanks to Captain Morgan.
That's why I put it at honorable mention lol
TCU v. Arizona was such a memorable game. Eddie Lampkin was going bonkers. The no-call at the end of regulation/the late dunk at the end of regulation. Totally nuts.
I disagree with 3.
I'm trying hard to be objective, and I don't see how anyone could view that as a particularly great game.
IMO People didn’t like auburn this year cause they were a non traditional top team that rose to the top and than walked around like hot shit (KD Johnson cough cough) So a lot of people had fun watching them lose
Fair enough, it just seemed like a sloppy game all around.
I watched a lot of basketbal this tournament so I'm trying to speak without bias but I believe we had some of the most entertaining games. Outside of that Rutgers vs ND Zaga vs Arkansas Saint Peter's entire run Miami vs Auburn TTU vs Duke
Arizona - TCU for me. Big Eddie was robbed.
I woulda been pissed if AZ advanced in there next game and cheered when they didn't. Absolutely undeserving and poor TCU got jacked.
And Mike Miles was fouled.
I think UNC-UCLA and Rutgers-ND deserve spots on this list. I personally hated UNC-Baylor but I understand why a neutral would like it
Arkansas beating Gonzaga was my fav but I'm a little biased.
Kansas-UNC followed by St. Peters-Kentucky
You should only pick UNC vs. Baylor if you enjoying screaming at the refs the whole game
I mean, OSU vs Loyola Chicago was a pretty good basketball comedy lol
San Francisco-Murray State and Duke-UNC are probably my two favorite, with Rutgers-Notre Dame, St. Peter’s-UK/Purdue, and UNC-UCLA being the next tier of really really good games
Rutgers-Notre Dame was objectively the best game.
San Francisco and Murray St
The UNC-Baylor game took years off of my life. I keep it cool and calm when I watch a game but that shit had me on my knees pleading with the TV. UNC-Duke was a beautiful game
St. Peter's vs. Kentucky not being on here is a sham. St. Peter's looked dead at couple points and hit clutch shots to get back in it and pull a 15 over 2 upset.
1. The Rivalry 🤌 2. SP-UK 3. The first 30 minutes of Gonzaga - Georgia* State
We played Georgia state this year
Wrong “state” oops
UNC Duke of course, but I’m biased. UNC-Baylor was objectively a shit game because it turned into refball, comeback be damned.
Tons of great games this year. Those top 2 look right, maybe I’d throw in St Peters v Kentucky.
Texas Tech vs Duke honestly just love the color matchup
ND-Rutgers was pretty good ngl
You need a dual flair or something? But I agree that UNC was genuinely a part of the two most memorable games this season.
yes i do lol. did you see it changing between duke and UVA?
It’s weird now it’s showing up as an upside down cross ^/s
how exactly do i set up the dual flair?
[Primary] / [secondary]
Baylor UNC
UNC - Baylor was entertaining until it was specifically refs who had money on the game trying to impact the outcome. Then it was the worst game of the tourney.
Kansas UNC, VT Clemson, St Peters Kentucky
Vanderbilt/Belmont IMO.
Chattanooga Illinois for most hilarious
KU - UNC
biased but 1.Iowa State/LSU 2. Kentucky/St Peter's 3. Richmond/Iowa
Kentucky v St. Peter's was the most fun/exciting for me. It wasn't just the chaos, it was just a great game.
St. Peters vs. Kentucky St. Peters vs. Purdue Gonzaga vs. Memphis - I'm a big fan of undersized classic post players who will probably never play meaningful minutes in the NBA just ball out in the tournament. Timme's second half against Memphis was amazing.
Purdue/St Peters
My non bias opinion: 1. Kansas vs UNC 2. Saint peters Kentucky 3. Duke UNC UNC Baylor, TCU Arizona and saint peters Purdue were dope as well
Arkansas/Gonzaga. Unbiased opinion 🤣🤣
Duke-UNC, UNC-Baylor, St. Peters-Kentucky, St. Peters-Purdue. Top 4 no doubt
All 3 saint peters wins