The excitement of the NCAA Tournament is hard to beat. Since it’s a single-elimination venue, every contest is in essence a win-or-go-home Game 7. Here are the best NCAA Tournament games since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
10. UCLA 75, Missouri 74: 1995 Second Round
Top-ranked UCLA was in a dogfight with eighth-seeded Missouri late in the game of this underrated back-and-forth classic, when Bruins point guard Tyus Edney saved the day—and their national championship hopes. The Tigers led 74–73 with 4.8 seconds left when Edney took the inbounds pass, drove the length of the court, and hit a running lay-in as time expired to cap off a wild final minute that saw three lead changes and send UCLA to the Sweet 16—and eventually win the national championship.
9. Wisconsin 71, Kentucky 64: 2015 National Semifinals
It almost wasn’t fair how much talent Kentucky had in 2015. Coach John Calipari referred to his bench players as “reinforcements” as his juggernaut squad went through the regular season, conference tournament, and the Midwest Regional with a perfect 38–0 record. But in the Final Four, Calipari’s Wildcats ran into a very good revenge-minded Wisconsin squad (35–3 record) that had lost to Kentucky the previous year in the Final Four. The battle featured seven lead changes and 11 ties before the Badgers pulled away in the final seconds for the win.
