March Madness promises indelible moments to remember. How well do you recall those that came before?
Houston's Renaldo Thomas holds his head after losing 54-52 to North Carolina State in the championship game of the NCAA college basketball championship game in Albuquerque, N.M., April 4, 1983. Credit: AP/Larry Reese
Christian Laettner made “The Shot” that beat Kentucky in overtime in 1992’s NCAA Tournament classic. Villanova stunned Patrick Ewing and Georgetown two years after North Carolina State did the same thing to Hakeem Olajuwon and Houston in 1983.
The NCAA Tournament always provides memorable drama. How much of it do you remember? We’ve got a quiz for you!
The questions
(1) In the past 10 years, what state has hosted three Final Fours in a span of five years?
— Indiana
— Texas
— Arizona
Michigan guard Jordan Poole (2) is chased by teammates after making a 3-point basket at the buzzer to win an NCAA men's college basketball tournament second-round game against Houston Saturday, March 17, 2018, in Wichita, Kan. Michigan won 64-63. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel
— Florida
(2) Which team needed triple overtime to win both its semifinal and championship games?
-- Kansas, 2008
-- Michigan, 1989
Northern Iowa guard Paul Jesperson shoots a buzzer-beater to win the game for Northern Iowa against Texas in a first-round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City, March 18, 2016. Northern Iowa won 75-72. Credit: AP/Sue Ogrocki
-- North Carolina, 1957
-- Cincinnati, 1961
(3) Who hit the game-winning shot for North Carolina State to beat top-seeded Houston in the 1983 championship game?
-- Dereck Whittenburg
-- David Thompson
-- Nate McMillan
-- Lorenzo Charles
(4) Which service academy has never qualified for the tournament?
-- Navy
-- Air Force
-- Army
(5) What current Big Ten school has made the tournament seven times (through the 2023 tourney) but never won a game?
-- Iowa
-- Rutgers
-- Nebraska
-- Northwestern
(6) Which player and for what team hit the longest game-winning buzzer-beater in tournament history?
-- US Reed, Arkansas, 1981
-- Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga, 2021
-- Paul Jesperson, Northern Iowa, 2016
-- Elgin Baylor, Seattle, 1958
(7) What sophomore averaged 34.3 points in the first three rounds of a tournament, leading his small school team to wins against Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin, before they came up one game short of the Final Four in a loss to Kansas?
-- Michael Jordan, North Carolina
-- Austin Carr, Notre Dame
-- Bill Bradley, Princeton
-- Stephen Curry, Davidson
(8) What is the largest margin of victory in the championship game?
-- 23 points
-- 28 points
-- 30 points
-- 34 points
(9) What freshman’s 28-foot buzzer-beater lifted Michigan to a 64-63 victory against Houston in the second round of the 2018 tournament?
-- Glen Rice
-- Tim Hardaway Jr.
-- Jordan Poole
-- Jamal Crawford
(10) What do Jerry West, Jerry Lucas, Bill Bradley and Hakeem Olajuwon have in common when it comes to the tournament?
-- They all won national championships
-- They were all named Most Outstanding Player
-- They all later ran for public office
-- They all led their teams in rebounding
(11) Four teams have lost in the championship game in back-to-back seasons. Name them.
-- Kansas, Duke, Arizona, Kentucky
-- Cincinnati, San Francisco, Michigan, Seton Hall
-- Texas Tech, Virginia, Houston, NC State
-- Ohio State, Houston, Michigan, Butler
(12) Which of these North Carolina coach won more national championships?
— Roy Williams
— Dean Smith
And the answers!
(1) Texas.
(2) North Carolina in 1957.
(3) Lorenzo Charles caught and dunked an airball from Dereck Whittenburg.
(4) Army.
(5) Nebraska.
(6) Paul Jesperson, Northern Iowa, banked it in from beyond halfcour t to beat Texas, 75-72, in the first round in 2016. The NCAA lists the sho t at 50 feet.
(7) Stephen Curry, Davidson, 2008.
(8) 30 points: UNLV 103, Duke 73, in 1990.
(9) Jordan Poole.
(10) They were all named the Most Outstanding Player without winning the title.
(11) Ohio State (1961 and 1962), Houston (1983 and 1984), Michigan (1992 and 1993) and Butler (2010 and 2011).
(12) Williams won three and Smith won two.
