The Madness is here!

March Madness is possibly my favorite sporting time of year! It's one and done time. A time of Cinderella teams. A time of miracle shots. A time of celebration. And a time of defeat. I cry more in these three weeks watching college basketball than I'd even like to admit. The stories of the athletes, their triumphs and tribulations that you just don't realize are so inspiring. Not to mention tons of great basketball being played.

I remember once in college I was at the rec center working out on the elliptical machine and one of the stories came on TV (A Road to the Final Four special) before a game of an athlete overcoming a tremendous odds to becoming such a success, and there I was, working out with tears streaming down my face, trying to catch my breath because I was so moved. I have also been known to cry, and fall into a day or two long depression when my team loses, especially unexpectedly. However, most of the tournament is about those great games that come down to the wire. The final shot. The game-winner. For one team, its the greatest thing ever. And for the other, its complete despair.

The first two days of the tourney, yesterday and today, are probably the best two days in sports. Period. Its basically game after game after game. And if they are all great games that come down to the wire, that just makes the day even better. I am like a kid in a candy shop. Below are 5 of the greatest moments that I remember from March Madness over the years. They are pretty famous shots and comebacks and still, to this day, send chills down my spine. Ahhh, this is the most wonderful time of the year!!

Christian Laettner's game winning shot.  1992, KU-Duke. I have always been a Duke fan even though they are a team people love to hate. What's so amazing about this shot, is not the shot itself which is pretty incredible, but its the pass, which is more than three quarters of the court that was right on target. Grant Hill is the man.

 Tyus Edney's full court lay-up. 1995. UCLA-Missouri. The smallest man on the court taking it all the way FTW in 4.8 seconds. Watch it again. You have to.

Bryce Drew Buzzer Beater. 1995, Valpo vs. Ole Miss. Coach's son hits the game winning shot. Can't write that script any better. Another one where the pass should get more credit.

Huge Upset. 2006, Northwestern State vs. Iowa. Game winning three at the buzzer. A 14 seed beating a 3 seed is an enormous upset in the tournament. This is what its all about on the first two days.

 

Best Comeback. 2005, Illinois-Arizona. This is not a buzzer beater, but this happens to be the the best comeback ever in the history of the NCAA tournament. I am not just biased because it features my Illinois Fighting Illini in the 2005 Elite Eight game against Arizona. But it really was one of the best basketball games I have ever witnessed and the excitement was obviously 10-fold because I had so much personally invested in this team. They ended up losing in the Championship game, which was heartbreaking, but people still talk about this game today. Amazing.

 I could seriously watch these clips over and over again and yell and shout at the TV in pure excitement even though I know what happens. Seriously, the best time of the year. When I hear "One Shining Moment" at the end of the tourney and dry my eyes, (and then watch it four more times before I delete it from my DVR), I get excited for the next season to come. Enjoy the Madness while its here!