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As we get ready to see the 2007  March Madness edition, I’d like to take a look back and rate the 10 best championship games in the history of the NCAA, starting in 1939.  Here’s one man’s take on the most exciting final games in history, going David Letterman-style, from No. 10 down to 1.

10.  1975 – UCLA 92, Kentucky 85; 1964 – UCLA 98, Duke 83

You can’t make any type of top-10 list about the  NCAA championship game without mentioning the incredible run by UCLA from 1964-1975.  Coach John Wooden led the Bruins to an incredible 10 championships in that 12-year span.  I’ve selected both the first and last games from that streak and will count them as one entry, because really the team was so dominant that none of its title games were particularly close (5 points being the closest that anyone got to the Bruins – Florida State in 1972). 

9.  1988 – Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79

In one of the few title games that featured teams from the same conference, 6th seed Kansas completed its improbable championship run by upsetting Oklahoma.  Kansas came into the tourney with 11 losses, but with the spectacular play of Danny Manning was finally able to overcome its bitter rival in the teams' fourth meeting of the season.  This was a very tight, back-and-forth contest, and it was only due to Manning’s 31 points and 18 rebounds that the Jayhawks were able to win their second NCAA crown.

8.  2003 – Syracuse 81, Kansas 78

One of the great freshman seasons in NCAA history was completed as the Orangemen won their first title.  Carmelo Anthony was named the tournament’s Most Oustanding Player, which put a fantastic cap on what was the best performance we’ve seen by a freshman in many years.  This game was also a matchup of two long-time coaches who had been so close to winning a title but had yet to in Jim Boeheim for Syracuse and Roy Williams for Kansas.  Syracuse jumped out to an early lead, but Kansas battled almost all the way back and had its game-tying 3-point attempt blocked with less than a second to go. 

7.  1989 – Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79 OT

With several clutch free throws from guard Rumeal Robinson and outstanding shooting from forward Glen Rice, the Wolverines outlasted upstart Seton Hall and won their only NCAA basketball championship.  The Wolverines had a tumultuous run to the title, having to replace their coach just before the tournament began, as Bill Frieder left to take over the reins at Arizona State.  He was replaced by assistant Steve Fisher, who rallied the troops and won the title in the first final game to go to overtime in 26 years. 

6.  1987 – Indiana 74, Syracuse 73

In one of the few championship games decided by one point, Hoosier guard Keith Smart nailed an 18-footer from the corner with one second remaining to give Coach Bobby Knight his third title for Indiana.  The Hoosiers were led by Smart and guard Steve Alford (23 points) as they beat one of the best Orangemen teams of all time, led by Derrick Coleman, Rony Seikaly and Sherman Douglas. 

5.  1966 – Texas Western 72, Kentucky 65

I placed this game on the list not so much because it was a nail-biter to the end, but due to the historical significance of it.  Texas Western (now known as Texas El-Paso or UTEP) was the first team to start five African-American players in tournament history.  The fact it won the title game over such a storied institution as Kentucky only made it that much bigger of a story.  The movie “Glory Road” is about this team and game and is recommended viewing for any hoops lover. 

4.  1982 – North Carolina 63, Georgetown 62

This game started a great run of NCAA final games throughout the 1980s.  Anyone who follows college hoops knows this as the Michael Jordan game, where the future legend knocked down a jumper from the left side with 16 seconds left to give the Tar Heels the lead. Hoyas point guard Fred Brown then came down with the ball with a chance for Georgetown to win the game but mistakenly threw the ball right to Carolina’s James Worthy to give the Tar Heels the win. 

3.  1957 – North Carolina 54, Kansas 53 3OT

Any championship game that goes into triple overtime has to make the top three of all-time classics.  Add to the fact that Kansas had future all-time great Wilt Chamberlain at center only adds to the significance of the victory.  The Tar Heels’ first victory was led by guard Lennie Rosenbluth with 20 points. 

2.  1983 – North Carolina State 54, Houston 52

Just as the year before this game has come to be known as the Michael Jordan game, this one is known as the Jim Valvano game.  Houston (a.k.a. Phi Slamma Jamma) was one of the dominant teams of the early 1980s, with stars Akeem (later Hakeem) Olajuwon and future Hall-of-Famer Clyde “the Glide” Drexler.  Valvano, the coach of N.C. State, had a beautiful game plan and played a very slow tempo to try to slow down the high-powered offense of the Cougars.  This was a very nip-and-tuck battle and it ended with a final play that will be shown in Final Four highlight reels for the rest of time, as Wolfpack forward Lorenzo Charles grabbed guard Dereck Whittenburg’s 30-foot desperation shot in mid-air and laid it in the hoop as the buzzer sounded.  We then saw coach Valvano running frantically around the court looking for someone to embrace.  Just a fantastic ending to one of the biggest upsets in championship-game history. 

And now, the award for best and also most exciting final game in NCAA history goes to….

1.  1985 – Villanova 66, Georgetown 64

Only the biggest upset in NCAA title-game history could be in this top spot.  Villanova became the lowest-ranked seed to win the crown, and the Wildcats had to play literally an almost perfect game to pull it off.  Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing and coached by John Thompson, was one of the best teams in NCAA history, and I would say if these two teams played 100 times, the Hoyas would win 99 of them.  The Wildcats could not have played a better game and had to shoot 79% to win.  I can’t ever remember seeing another game where a team shot that well.  The Wildcats went 22 for 28 from the field and 22 of 27 from the line and held Ewing to only 14 points and 5 rebounds.  This was just one of those games that make you believe that anything is possible in the world of sports and anyone who watched it will never forget it.  Any team that has March Madness aspirations only needs to look at the tape of this game to know that it has a shot to win and that’s why I rank it as the best championship game in NCAA history.

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