The end of the decade and, alas, our countdown is nearly complete. We’ve narrowed down the 10 best games in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and college football. Now we turn to college hoops, the most parity-driven of any of the aforementioned sports this decade. In 10 years there were seven different champions, with Duke, UConn and Villanova winning twice each.
With over 300 teams playing more than 30 games a year, that’s… a lot of basketball. We’ve sifted through all of it to bring you the 10 best of the 2010s:
10) Feb. 8, 2012:
The storied rivalry between Duke and North Carolina don’t need repeating. Of the many phenomenal games between the two this decade, the best came at the Dean Dome in 2012. With both teams ranked inside the top-10, UNC led by two in the final seconds, when Austin Rivers silenced the Tar Heel crowd with a game-winning three as time expired (with a hand in his face, no less) to hoist the Blue Devils to the 85-84 win.
9) Jan. 4, 2016:
The best regular season game of the decade came at Allen Fieldhouse, where No. 1 Kansas welcomed in No. 2 Oklahoma, and it lived up to the hype. Tied at 77, Khadeem Latin’s missed free throw with 2.1 seconds left sent the game to overtime – the first of three OTs that night. Kansas wound up winning the game 109-106 behind Frank Mason, Perry Ellis and Devonte’ Graham, but in a losing effort Buddy Hield stole the show, finishing with 46 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
8) 2014 Round of 32:
A year after losing a perfect season in the Final Four, Kentucky was the eight-seed against unbeaten Wichita State, and it was a classic. In a game featuring 14 lead changes, it was Andrew Harrison who stepped up for the Wildcats, who overcame 31 points from Cleanthony Early to stun the undefeated Shockers by a pair, 78-76.
7) 2018 Elite 8:
March Madness is as beloved as it is in large part because it’s fun to watch the underdogs pull off upsets. But when two bluebloods meet and give us a great game, there’s nothing better. Top-seeded Kansas and No. 2 Duke did that in Kansas City, with 11 ties and 18 lead changes over 45 thrilling minutes.
The largest lead for either side was seven, the Jayhawks’ Svi Mykhailiuk tied it up with 27 seconds left, Grayson Allen’s game-winner rimmed out, and we were off to overtime. There, Malik Newman took over, scoring all 13 of KU’s points and going 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 28 seconds to send the Jayhawks to the Final Four, 85-81.
6) 2014 Elite 8:
In the second half, neither Arizona nor Wisconsin ever led by more than five, and over the final 12 minutes, neither led by more than three. It was fitting that such a close game went to overtime tied at 54, and the tension only grew from there.
Down 64-63, the Wildcats’ Nick Johnson was called for a controversial offensive foul, giving Wisconsin an inbound. Arizona tipped it out of bounds, and after an excruciatingly long review, were awarded the ball. However, Johnson’s potential game-winner was not only missed, but also not shot in time, and the Badgers survived 64-63 – the first of two straight years they’d beat the Cats in the Elite 8.
5) 2013 Sweet 16:
Kansas was well on its way to another Elite 8 appearance, leading Michigan by 14 with seven minutes to play. Then Trey Burke donned his cape and almost single-handedly brought the Wolverines back. Scoreless in the first half, Burke finished the game with 23 points, including a long game-tying three in the waning moments of regulation to tie it up at 76.
In overtime alone there were five lead changes, capped by a Mitch McGary (25 points and 14 rebounds) bucket to put the maize and blue up for good at 83-82, ultimately winning 87-85.
4) 2015 Final Four:
Kentucky was the overwhelming favorite to win the national title, going into the Final Four a perfect 38-0. Fellow one-seed Wisconsin, however, ended those dreams. The Badgers outrebounded the Wildcats 34-22, attempted twice as many free throws, got a double-double from Frank Kaminsky and a back-breaking Sam Dekker three-pointer with under two minutes left to help secure a 71-64 victory.
3) 2019 National championship game:
The last time a championship game went to overtime was 2008, when Kansas edged Memphis (the Mario Chalmers game). Fast forward 11 years, and two of the nation’s best defenses played as expected when Virginia met Texas Tech. The Red Raiders didn’t have a field goal for the first seven minutes, but trailed by just three at halftime and led by that many late.
De’Andre Hunter tied the game with 12 seconds left with a three-pointer to force overtime. From there, the Cavaliers pulled away with a 17-9 advantage in the extra session to win a national title a year after losing to UMBC.
2) 2010 National championship game:
Gordon Hayward was about a quarter of an inch away from the greatest shot in basketball history, at any level. Plucky underdog Butler going up against big, bad Duke. Featuring five ties and 15 lead changes, the Blue Devils led 60-59 in the final seconds when Hayward missed a baseline jumper. Brian Zoubek grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws, making it 61-59 Duke, when Hayward’s half-court heave rimmed out, giving the Blue Devils another national title.
1) 2016 National championship game:
For the first 34 minutes, neither Villanova nor North Carolina ever led by more than seven. The Wildcats eventually climbed to as high as nine with under five minutes to play, but the Tar Heels clawed back, with Marcus Paige hitting his insane off-balance three-pointer with six seconds left. It would have been among the greatest shots in March Madness history (it still is, to be honest), but it was immediately usurped by Kris Jenkins and the first-ever championship-winning buzzer-beater, lifting ‘Nova to the 77-74 win.
