The 25 Best Men’s NCAA Tournament Non-Championship Games of the Past 25 Years

Sports Illustrated looks back at the past 25 seasons from 2000 to ’25 in men’s college basketball, ranking the top 25 NCAA tournament non-championship games. No games in the 2026 tournament were considered for this project, but Sunday’s UConn-Duke Elite Eight game would be right at home among these games.

1. No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Duke, 2022 Final Four

After 102 years of sport-defining enmity, the No. 2 Blue Devils and No. 8 Tar Heels finally met in the NCAA men’s tournament for the first time—and the game lived up to the considerable hype around it. With 24.8 seconds showing on the clock, North Carolina guard Caleb Love drained the most famous shot in the history of the rivalry—a straight-on three-pointer that staked the Tar Heels to a four-point lead. Duke had no answer, and coach Mike Krzyzewski’s career came to an abrupt, unsatisfying end as North Carolina left with an 81–77 win.

2. No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 UCLA, 2021 Final Four

Facing a No. 1 Bulldogs team with credible aspirations of becoming the sport’s first unbeaten since 1976, the No. 11 Bruins needed to play a near-perfect game—and they did. UCLA shot 57.6% from the field, only to hang their heads as Gonzaga made 58.7% of its shots—none bigger than Bulldogs guard Jalen Suggs’s half-court buzzer beater to win, 93–90 in overtime. After Baylor trounced a spent Gonzaga squad in an anticlimactic national championship, this game took its rightful place as the best moment of the sport’s melancholy pandemic era.

3. No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Wisconsin, 2015 Final Four

A number of teams have taken stabs at perfection in the men’s game since 1976, but none captivated the nation quite like the Wildcats. Kentucky arrived at the Final Four in Indianapolis with a 38–0 record and nine future NBA players—only to run into one Frank Kaminsky. The Badgers center vexed Kentucky to the tune of 20 points and 11 rebounds, helping Wisconsin pull a stunning 71–64 upset and advance to its first national championship since 1941.

Kentucky’s Aaron Harrison shoots against Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky in the 2015 Final Four. | John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated

4. No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 3 Purdue, 2019 Elite Eight

Has there ever been a better individual NCAA tournament performance in a losing effort than Boilermakers guard Carsen Edwards’s in Louisville? The All-American from Houston blitzed the Cavaliers for 42 points on 10 three-pointers—and yet he didn’t have the most memorable shot of the evening. That’d be Virginia forward Mamadi Diakite’s desperation shot to tie the game, made possible by Cavaliers guard Kihei Clark’s once-in-a-lifetime pass that saved Virginia’s championship season. The Cavs would win in overtime, 80–75.

Virginia’s Mamadi Diakite celebrates with Kyle Guy (5) after making the game-tying shot to go into overtime against Purdue. — Virginia’s Mamadi Diakite celebrates with Kyle Guy (5) after making the game-tying shot to go into overtime against Purdue in the 2019 Elite Eight. | Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated

5. No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Kentucky, 2017 Elite Eight

This was the platonic ideal of an Elite Eight game—the ACC and SEC’s flagship programs facing off in the final of, appropriately, the South Regional. With 54 seconds left, the Tar Heels led 71–64, but the Wildcats crept back into the contest thanks to threes from future NBA guards De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. It was North Carolina forward Luke Maye, however, who played hero—hitting a short go-ahead jumper with 0.3 seconds left to send the eventual national champion Tar Heels to the Final Four with a 75–73 win.

6. No. 2 UConn vs. No. 1 Duke, 2004 Final Four

Huskies center Emeka Okafor was an All-American in 2004, but you wouldn’t have known it by watching his scoreless first half against the Blue Devils in San Antonio. He more than made up for it in the second half, making 7 of 9 field goal attempts to score 18 points and lift UConn to a 79–78 comeback victory. The Huskies built a 15-point halftime lead on Georgia Tech two days later and went on to win the national title.

UConn’s Emeka Okafor defends Duke’s Shavlik Randolph’s shot in the 2004 Final Four. | Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated

7. No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 1 Virginia, 2018 first round

Since the men’s tournament’s expansion to 64 teams in 1985, 33 Marches had come and gone without a No. 16 seed beating a No. 1. With no warning in 2018, the Retrievers embarrassed the Cavaliers 74–54 in one of the most famous sports upsets of the 21st century. UMBC shook off a halftime tie to outscore Virginia—at the height of its defensive powers under coach Tony Bennett—53–33 in the second half, inadvertently starting Virginia on its road to the 2019 national title.

UMBC’s Jairus Lyles shoots against Virginia in the 2018 first round. | Chris Keane/Sports Illustrated

8. No. 1 Duke vs. No. 1 Houston, 2025 Final Four

The Blue Devils led the Cougars by nine with a little over two minutes to go, and smelled a national championship date with Florida. It wasn’t to be—Houston outscored Duke 15–3 going away, beating the Blue Devils 70–67 in regulation in one of the sport’s greatest comebacks. The Cougars may have the dubious distinction of the most Final Four appearances without a national championship, but their fans will never forget this triumph over men’s college hoops’ favorite villain.

Houston’s LJ Cryer shoots against Duke in the 2025 Final Four. | Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated

9. No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 UCLA, 2006 Sweet 16

Known by three words: “The Crying Game.” A lifetime in sports media has yet to yield a more iconic call for announcer Gus Johnson than ”heartbreak city,” a fitting descriptor after the Bulldogs gagged a 17-point lead to the Bruins to lose 73–71 in front of a wired crowd in Oakland. Superstar Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison lying prone at midcourt and shaking remains one of the most enduring images of March agony.

Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison reacts after losing to UCLA in the 2006 Sweet 16. | John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated

10. No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 1 Duke, 2002 Sweet 16

The Hoosiers entered this Sweet 16 showdown an unheralded No. 5 seed, while the Blue Devils were an imposing No. 1 seed at 31–3. Duke jumped out to a 13-point halftime lead, but Indiana rallied and sweated out a missed potential game-tying free throw from Blue Devils guard Jay Williams—the AP Player of the Year—to hold on for the 74–73 win. The Hoosiers rode the momentum from their win all the way to the national championship game, where they lost to future conference foe Maryland.

Indiana’s Jared Jeffries shoots against Duke’s Mike Dunleavy (34) and Carlos Boozer (4) in the 2002 Sweet 16. | Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated

11. No. 11 George Mason vs. No. 1 UConn, 2006 Elite Eight

During this game, Patriots coach Jim Larrañaga made hay of the fact that players on the Huskies allegedly couldn't identify George Mason's conference affiliation. Those players were no different from many Americans in the spring of 2006, who watched the unheralded Fairfax, Va., school pick off Michigan State, North Carolina and Wichita State en route to the Elite Eight. The run culminated with an 86–84 overtime upset of No. 1 UConn, a team that featured five future NBA players (including All-American forward Rudy Gay).

George Mason’s Folarin Campbell goes for a layup against UConn’s Ed Nelson in the 2006 Elite Eight. | John Biever/Sports Illustrated

12. No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 4 Michigan, 2013 Sweet 16

Coach John Beilein’s Wolverines appeared destined for greatness in his sixth season—they reached No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in 20 years—but slumped a bit to a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. Trailing No. 1 Kansas by five points with just 21 seconds to play, it looked as though Michigan would be headed home in the Sweet 16—but Wolverines guard Trey Burke had other ideas. After the Jayhawks missed the front end of a one-and-one, Burke got the ball in his hands, brought it up court, fired from around 30 feet with a collision in front of him and sent the game to overtime tied at 76; the Wolverines won 87–85 and advanced all the way to the national championship game.

Kansas’s Ben McLemore dunks against Michigan in the 2013 Sweet 16. | Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated

13. No. 3 Arizona vs. No. 1 Illinois, 2005 Elite Eight

For perhaps men’s college basketball’s finest program without a national title, this was the pinnacle. The Fighting Illini trailed Arizona 75–60 late in the second half—only to reel off a wild 20–5 run to tie the game with 39 seconds left on a clutch three from future NBA All-Star guard Deron Williams. Thanks to a double-double from Williams (22 points, 10 assists), Illinois pulled out a 90–89 win in overtime that they’re still talking about in Champaign and Urbana, Ill.

14. No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Kentucky, 2005 Elite Eight

While the Fighting Illini were pulling rabbits out of hats in Chicago, Kentucky was cooking up a similarly bonkers ending in Austin against the Spartans. With his team trailing 75–72, Kentucky guard Patrick Sparks hit a three-pointer (by centimeters) at the buzzer to tie the game. It took two overtimes for Michigan State to put coach Tubby Smith’s squad away 94–88 and advance to its fourth Final Four under coach Tom Izzo.

15. No. 15 Saint Peter’s vs. No. 3 Purdue, 2022 Sweet 16

“I got guys that just play basketball,” soft-spoken Peacocks coach Shaheen Holloway said afterward in college basketball’s understatement of the century. Saint Peter’s had already made history by knocking off Kentucky and Murray State on the 2022 tournament’s first weekend, but surely it would wilt against No. 2 Purdue and star guard Jaden Ivey. Nope—just down the road from their Jersey City, N.J., campus in Philadelphia, the Peacocks took care of the basketball, made their free throws and took the 67–64 win to become the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight.

16. No. 14 Oakland vs. No. 3 Kentucky, 2024 first round

There has never been a performance in the tournament quite like Golden Grizzlies guard Jack Gohlke’s against Kentucky. Coming off the bench, the transfer from Division II Hillsdale attempted 20 three-pointers and made 10—with no other field goal attempts—to pace March Madness’ most recent true first-round shocker, delivering Oakland the win, 80–76. Gohlke’s explosion gave respected coach Greg Kampe the first round of 64 win of his career—and hastened Kentucky coach John Calipari’s flight to Arkansas.

17. No. 2 Florida vs. No. 8 Butler, 2011 Elite Eight

Both coaches—the Gators’ Billy Donovan and Butler’s Brad Stevens—would eventually find success in the NBA. They never battled quite like they did in 2011, however—with Stevens’s Butler squad completing the unlikeliest two-year run in college basketball history. Guard Shelvin Mack—a player who was named all-tournament (twice) as many times he made All-Horizon League—was the hero with 27 points on a bad ankle, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:21 left in overtime. Butler held on to win, 74–71.

Butler’s Andrew Smith goes up for a shot against Florida in the 2011 Elite Eight. | Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated

18. No. 8 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Wisconsin, 2014 Final Four

For all the talent that passed through Rupp Arena in the mid-2010s, the Kentucky player that opponents feared most in March was guard Aaron Harrison—a sharpshooter who wound up going undrafted. In 2014, Harrison hit a go-ahead three-pointer against Michigan in the Elite Eight, and followed it up with a game-winning three-pointer against Wisconsin in the Final Four to secure a 74–73 win. The shot capped a stunning in-season turnaround for a Calipari team seeded seventh, which beat four straight AP Top 15 teams to set up a national championship loss to the Huskies.

19. No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Northern Iowa, 2016 second round

Then-Cavaliers forward LeBron James, on what he would do if he were a member of the Panthers after this game: “I would quit basketball.” Northern Iowa, a game removed from beating Texas on a half-court buzzer beater, led the Aggies 69–57 with just over 44 seconds showing on the clock and smelled the Sweet 16. A series of fortunate events allowed Texas A&M to rattle off a 14–2 run, and guard Alex Caruso and the Aggies put away the Panthers 92–88 in two overtimes.

20. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. No. 1 Purdue, 2023 first round

College basketball’s most famous called shot: “The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them.” Knights coach Tobin Anderson backed up his audacious words by crafting one of the most ingenious basketball game plans ever devised, holding the Boilermakers to 35.8% shooting en route to a 63–58 win, and becoming the second No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1. As was the case with Virginia, Fairleigh Dickinson motivated Purdue into a deep run in 2024, while also paving the way for the unlikeliest Final Four run of the 2020s (see No. 23).

21. No. 14 Georgia State vs. No. 3 Baylor, 2015 first round

The story of this game begins four days before it was played, when Georgia State coach Ron Hunter tore his Achilles celebrating his team’s Sun Belt championship win over Georgia Southern. The injury relegated Hunter to a rolling chair during his team’s first-round matchup with the Bears, which he used for the entire game—until the last two seconds. When Georgia State guard R.J. Hunter hit a go-ahead three to give his team a 57–56 lead it wouldn’t relinquish, Ron—R.J.’s father—fell to the ground, creating a hilarious visual of March euphoria.

Baylor’s Johnathan Motley (35), Ishmail Wainright (24) and Rico Gathers (2) go for a rebound against Georgia State. — Baylor’s Johnathan Motley (35), Ishmail Wainright (24) and Rico Gathers (2) go for a rebound against Georgia State’s Ryann Green in the first round of the 2015 NCAA tournament. | Bill Frakes/Sports Illustrated

22. No. 9 Northern Iowa vs. No. 1 Kansas, 2010 second round

When Northern Iowa broke the Jayhawks’ press late in the two teams’ second-round matchup, Panthers guard Ali Farokhmanesh found himself all alone and needing to kill time while his team clung to a one-point lead. He did no such thing. Farokhmanesh’s dagger three-pointer sealed the fate of a phenomenal Kansas team—the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed—and gave ex-Virginia forward and longtime analyst Dan Bonner a quote for his tombstone: “You can’t be serious with that shot!” UNI 69, Kansas 67.

23. No. 9 FAU vs. No. 5 San Diego State, 2023 Final Four

Fairleigh Dickinson’s upset of the Boilermakers opened the door for the Owls—a team making just their second-ever NCAA tournament appearance—to reach the Final Four. Up 71–70 with time running short, Florida Atlantic looked poised to become the lowest seed in the national championship—and then, to the delight of San Diegans scarred from generations of Padres and Chargers heartbreak, Aztecs guard Lamont Butler happened. His short jumper beat the buzzer and the Owls, sending San Diego State—a No. 5 seed scarcely more heralded than Florida Atlantic—to play for all the marbles with a 72–71 victory.

24. No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast vs. No. 2 Georgetown, 2013 first round

Forget the NCAA tournament—the Eagles were still fairly new to Division I when they won the Atlantic Sun tournament in 2013. Florida Gulf Coast drew the Hoyas in its first NCAA tournament game, and proceeded to put on a show of aerial acrobatics so dazzling the team was quickly rechristened “Dunk City.” The Eagles, dunking all the way, beat Georgetown 78–68 and then took down San Diego State to become the first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16.

25. No. 7 West Virginia vs. No. 4 Louisville, 2005 Elite Eight

Oh, did you forget about the 2005 Elite Eight’s third classic? In Albuquerque, N.M., the Mountaineers—coached by Beilein—constructed a 20-point lead in the first half and eyed their first Final Four since 1959. The Cardinals roared back and won 93–85 in overtime behind huge outings from guard Taquan Dean and forward Larry O’Bannon, sending coach Rick Pitino to his first Final Four since 1997.

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