The Sneakers Worn for the 50 Best Basketball Performances in NCAA History

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1.

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No. 50 - Ali Faroukmanesh Upsets Kansas

The Player: Ali Faroukmanesh
The Sneaker: Nike Air Zoom Soldier 3
The Date: 03/20/10

Kansas has always had problems with first-round upsets, and Northern Iowa's Ali Faroukmanesh was ready to give KU another problem. Ali's dagger three-pointer with just seconds remaining put the Panthers on the map and sent KU packing once again.

2.

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No. 49 - Randolph Childress Goes HAM In The 1995 ACC Tournament

The Player: Randolph Childress
The Sneaker: Nike Air Up Hi
The Date: 03/12/95

Randolph Childress put his name forever in the history books with an exceptional performance for Wake Forest in the 1995 ACC Championship. Childress scored 40 points against Duke, 30 against Virginia and 37 against UNC in the championship game, including the game-winning jumper in overtime. His 107 points in the tournament is still an all-time record.

3.

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No. 48 - Kemba Walker Puts Pitt To Sleep

The Player: Kemba Walker
The Sneaker: Air Jordan 6-17-23
The Date: 03/10/09

No one really deserves to get crossed up the way Gary McGhee did by Kemba Walker during the Big East Championship in 2009, and if I was McGhee, I would've cussed out my teammate who decided to switch assignments during the screen and roll. Poor guy.

4.

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No. 47 - The Freshman Brings Home A Title For Syracuse

The Player: Carmelo Anthony
The Sneaker: Nike Shox Supremacy
The Date: 04/07/03

Along with Hakim Warrick, Gerry McNamara and head coach Jim Boeheim, the Syracuse Orangemen were a solid squad ready to make a title run. However, it seemed that The 'Cuse was missing one thing, that one thing was Carmelo Anthony. Anthony helped carry Syracuse to a national title, and everyone thought about bringing the straight-back braids one more time. (Thank God we didn't though.)

5.

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No. 46 - Gordon Heyward Almost Gave Butler Their Hoosiers Moment

The Player: Gordon Heyward
The Sneaker: Nike Zoom Soldier 3
The Date: 04/05/10

Everyone knows the story of the movie Hoosiers. A tiny high school team from Indiana was able to overcome all odds to win the Indiana high school state championship. Similarly, the Butler Bulldogs went on a magical run that brought them to Indianapolis to face off vs. Duke in the 2010 title game in Lucas Oil Stadium. With just seconds remaining and Butler down 2, Gordon Heyward got off a half-court shot and was dead on at the rim....unfortunately, it was just a little too hard off the backboard and Duke won. This close Gordon, THIS close.

6.

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No. 45 - Princeton Backdoors UCLA

The Player: Mitch Henderson
The Sneaker: Converse R.A.W. Energy
The Date: 03/14/96

In 1996, the defending national champion UCLA Bruins still had a ton of talent on the squad, including Toby Bailey and Charles O'Bannon, and the Bruins had a favorable first-round game against the Ivy League's Princeton Tigers. However, with the scored tied at 41, Princeton's Gabe Lewullis converted a backdoor layup in the waning seconds. In the photo above, with Mitch Henderson's celebration along with Bailey's sadness, it always go to show that you always watch your back(door).

7.

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No. 44 - Kevin Durant And Texas Square Off With Oklahoma State In Triple-OT

The Player: Kevin Durant
The Sneaker: Nike Air Max Enforcer
The Date: 01/16/07

Oklahoma State and Texas squared off in a Big 12 conference regular season showdown in 2007. While Oklahoma State was able to pull out the 105-103 victory, with Mario Boggan setting career highs with 37 points and 20 rebounds in the process, this was the real coming out party for the one and only Kevin Durant. With 37 points and 12 rebounds, KD let everyone know that he was the preeminent scorer of the generation, and a return trip to Oklahoma would soon be in order.

8.

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No. 43 - Arizona Sends North Carolina Head Coach Dean Smith Home For Good 

The Player: Miles Simon
The Sneaker: Nike Air Max Uptempo
The Date: 03/29/97

North Carolina had high hopes in sending Dean Smith off riding in the sunset in his final season as head coach, but Miles Simon and the Arizona Wildcats had different plans. MIles Simon had 24, Mike Bibby had 20, and Lute Olsen's club pulled off a 66-58 victory in the Final Four.

9.

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No. 42 - Richard Hamilton Brings UConn Their First National Title

The Player: Richard Hamilton
The Sneaker: Air Jordan 14
The Date: 03/29/99

The Duke Blue Devils and the Connecticut Huskies squared off in the 1999 national championship as the bluebloods of college basketball faced a team desperate to become a blueblood. Trajan Langdon's 25 points was trumped by Richard Hamilton's 27 points as UConn brought home its first of three national titles to Storrs.

10.

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No. 41 - The Game Of The Century

The Player: Elvin Hayes
The Sneaker: Converse All Star
The Date: 01/20/68

The Game of the Century in college basketball was a historical NCAA game between the undefeated Houston Cougars and the undefeated UCLA Bruins played at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas in 1968. The matchup everyone wanted to see was a duel between two legendary big men in Elvin Hayes and Lew Alcindor. In the end, the Cougars pulled the upset, 71–69, as Hayes made the final two free throws and ended the Bruins' 47-game winning streak.

11.

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No. 40 - Hampton Upsets Iowa State In A Historic Upset

The Player: Tarvis Williams
The Sneaker: Reebok Answer 4
The Date: 03/16/01

No one thought that the 15-seed Hampton Pirates had any shot against a tough two-seeded Iowa State Cyclones squad led by Jamaal Tinsley. Yet, Hampton's Tarvis Williams made a shot at the rim for the Pirates to give them a 58-57 lead with just under seven seconds on the clock. Tinsley's missed shot at the other end as the horn sounded finalized one of the biggest upsets in history, and a coach was lifted above a player's head. Beautiful.

12.

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No. 39 - Never Nervous Pervis Puts His Team On His Back

The Player: Pervis Ellison
The Sneaker: Converse CONS ERX-250
The Date: 04/07/86

One of the first freshmen sensations in college basketball was "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison for the Louisville Cardinals. Ellison, a 6'9" center for Louisville went head up with the Duke Blue Devils who featured Johnny Dawkins, Tommy Amaker and Danny Ferry, put up a performance of the ages with a 26-point, 11-rebound performance in a 72-69 victory. His effort gave UL their second national title, and gave UL fans a reason to never be nervous.

13.

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No. 38 - Jack Taylor Scores 138 Points

The Player: Jack Taylor
The Sneaker: Nike Hyperenforcer
The Date: 11/21/08

They say that there are some record that will never be broken, then there are records that are in a different stratosphere. Grinnell College's Jack Taylor scored 138 points Tuesday against Faith Baptist to set an NCAA single-game scoring record that now stands in its own galaxy. You know you've done something special when Kobe and LeBron have something to say.

Kobe: "Wow. That's impressive. That's crazy. I don't care what level you're at. Scoring 138 points is pretty insane. How many 3's did he shoot?" (Reporter tells Kobe it was 71) "Holy s---. How many points did they score as a team?" (Told 179) "That's incredible. (Taylor) must have been wearing the Mambas, man. Only Mambas have no conscience to shoot the ball that much,"

LeBron: "I watched Kobe's game when he had 81. I watched some of the greatest games ever played when guys scored big numbers. There's two games that I would love to see: One was Wilt, when he had 100, and this kid, I want to see him, too. Sir Jack."

14.

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No. 37 - Jack Givens Shuts Down Duke

The Player: Jack Givens
The Sneaker: Converse Pro Leather
The Date: 03/27/78

In 1978, Kentucky reached their first national championship in the post-Adolph Rupp era, and waiting for them in the final was the Duke Blue Devils. Head coach Joe B. Hall called upon Jack Givens to deliver a performance of his life, and Givens gave. Givens put up 41 points in the title game over Duke in a 94-88 victory and everyone in Lexington ate Jack In The Box in celebration. (Okay, that last part may or may not have happened.)

15.

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No. 36 - Jay Williams Leads Duke On An Epic Comeback Vs. Maryland

The Player: Jay Williams
The Sneaker: Nike Air Determination
The Date: 01/27/01

Down 10 points with under a minute to go against your hated rival, who you gonna call?

Jay Williams, the man who played dreadful for 39 minutes prior to, that's who.

16.

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No. 35 - Illinois Completes A 15-Point Comeback To Get Into The Final Four Vs. Arizona

The Player: Deron Williams
The Sneaker: Nike Air Force Operate
The Date: 03/24/11

Illinois had never been down by more than 9 points all season (vs. Purdue) and yet with 4 minutes remaining in their Elite Eight contest vs. Arizona, they were down 15 points. What happened next seemed to come right out of a comic book. A Deron Williams three, a Luther Head three, a Dee Brown steal and layup and more suffocating defense later, the two teams were heading into overtime. It was clockwork after that, and Illinois made their trip to the Final Four a memorable one.

17.

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No. 34 - Ray Allen Puts Up A Prayer And Turns Into Jesus

The Player: Ray Allen
The Sneaker: Nike Air Max Uptempo
The Date: 03/09/96

UConn made a monumental comeback versus the Allen Iverson led Georgetown Hoyas in the 1996 ACC Championship, and when the final play needed to be made, they called on Jesus, errr....Ray Allen. Then this happened...


18.

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No. 33 - Austin Carr Goes For 61 Points, Sets NCAA Tournament Record

The Player: Austin Carr
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
The Date: 03/07/70

The folks in Dayton, Ohio probably had no idea what they were about to witness when Notre Dame and Ohio University squared off for their opening around contest in 1970, Austin Carr, a 6'3" guard for the Irish, scored 61 points in an NCAA tournament game against Ohio University, setting a one-game record for the tourney that still stands.

19.

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No. 32 - UNLV Destroys Duke 103-73

The Player: Larry Johnson
The Sneaker: Nike Air Force STS
The Date: 04/09/90

Some games are built up by the media in different ways. It could be "two evenly matched teams" or "David vs. Goliath," but in the case of Duke vs. UNLV, this was simply a case of "good vs. evil." In what would finish up as the most lopsided victory in NCAA championship game history, good was no match for evil. The Running Rebels ran up and down the Blue Devils and Larry Johnson's gold tooth shined bright in the 103-73 victory.

20.

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No. 31 - The Miracle Man Danny Manning Takes Kansas Over Oklahoma In 1988

The Player: Danny Manning
The Sneaker: Nike Air Flight 90
The Date: 04/11/88

The superstar big man in the matchup was supposed to be Stacey King of the Oklahoma Sooners. Unfortunately for Sooners fans, Danny Manning wasn't having any of that. The leader of "Danny and the Miracles" put up a hellacious stat line with 31 points, 18 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocked shots, and the Jayhawks bested the Sooners 83-79.

21.

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No. 30 - Laettner's "Special" Play Vs. Connecticut

The Player: Christian Laettner
The Sneaker: adidas Torsion Artillery II
The Date: 03/24/90

The final play was called "Special."

An unguarded Christian Laettner inbounds the ball to Brian Davis. Brian Davis passes the ball immediately back to Laettner who is moving on the run towards the basket. Laettner floats a 17-foot leaner at the rim and the ball falls in, just like it was drawn up...right? Right. 79-78, Duke over Connecticut, the Blue Devils are headed to another Final Four in 1990.

22.

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No. 29 - Tate George Makes His Own Special Shot Vs. Clemson

The Player: Tate George
The Sneaker: Nike Air Revolution
The Date: 03/22/90

The funny thing about Laettner's "Special" shot is that the man who was right there to witness it was Tate George. George had made his own special shot earlier in the tournament that knocked out the Clemson Tigers. With just one second remaining in the game and the Huskies down 1, Scott Burrell heaved a pass downcourt to George. In one motion, George caught the ball, spun, and elevated a mid-range jumper which fell right through the bottom of the net.

23.

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No. 28 - Six Overtimes For Syracuse Vs. Connecticut

The Player: Hasheem Thabeet
The Sneaker: Nike Air Zoom BB2
The Date: 03/12/09

In a game that took 3 hours, 46 minutes to play in a 127-117 victory for Syracuse over Connecticut, a quote from Syracuse guard Jonny Flynn sums up the entire evening in Madison Square Garden:

"I just wanted to get the game over with. I was thinking, 'Lord, just get this game over with. Whoever wins the game, let's just get it over with.'" -- Jonny Flynn

24.

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No. 27 - Shaka Smart Shocks The World As VCU Makes The Final Four

The Player: Jamie Skeen
The Sneaker: Nike Air Max Sweep Thru
The Date: 03/27/11

VCU's Jamie Skeen scored 26 points against Kansas to secure a Final Four birth in Houston, in what would prove to be validation that a team chosen to play in the First Four could indeed make it to the Final Four. All hail Shaka Smart, all hail Virginia Commonwealth.

25.

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No. 26 - Gonzaga's Miracle Journey To The Elite Eight In 1999

The Player: Richie Frahm
The Sneaker: Nike Afterburner Flight
The Date: 03/19/99

In 1999, the only folks who knew about the Gonzaga Bulldogs were the members of the John Stockton fan club. Yet and still, guys like Matt Santangelo, Quentin Hall and Richie Frahm were ready to put the Bulldogs on the national stage. Gonzaga knocked off Minnesota, Stanford and Florida to the Elite Eight. In facing eventual national champion UConn, they trailed by one point with a minute remaining before losing 67–62 in a chance to go to the Final Four.

26.

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No. 25 - Marquette Beats North Carolina In 1977

The Player: Butch Lee
The Sneaker: Converse Pro Leather
The Date: 03/28/77

In what would be the last game of his coaching career, Al McGuire led his Marquette Warriors (the name change to Golden Eagles didn't happen until 1994) on a magical run that culminated into a national championship over North Carolina in 1977. Butch Lee, the electrifying guard, led the way with 18 points while wearing some of the coolest jerseys ever worn in college hoops history.

27.

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No. 24 - Rip Hamilton Fades Away For Connecticut

The Player: Richard Hamilton
The Sneaker: Nike Son Of Glove
The Date: 03/19/98

The 11-seed Washington Huskies were just seconds away from pulling off the upset against the Connecticut Huskies, but Richard Hamilton had other ideas, he just needed two chances.

28.

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No. 23 - Danny Ainge Goes Behind-The-Back For BYU

The Player: Danny Ainge
The Sneaker: adidas Top Ten Hi
The Date: 03/19/81

It was March 18th, 1981, and BYU was facing off against Notre Dame. With just nine seconds remaining, Danny Ainge was ready to put BYU on his back. Ainge drove the length of the court, went behind-the-back with the dribble, and made his way to the basket to give BYU the win. Notre Dame had a case of the sads, and BYU moved on with the happies.

29.

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No. 22 - Rumeal Robinson's Free Throws Brings Michigan Their First National Title

The Player: Rumeal Robinson
The Sneaker: Nike Air Force 2
The Date: 04/03/89

While everyone remembers the legend of the Fab Five at Michigan, the legendary group never brought a national championship to Ann Arbor. The team that did bring a title to the maize and blue was the 1989 Wolverines, who was led by Glen Rice and Rumeal Robinson, defeated Seton Hall with two huge free throws by Robinson. I'm not sure if Sarah Palin was there to cheer Rice on, but I know the Wolverine fans were cheering when those free throws went in.

30.

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No. 21 - Lew Alcindor Plays His Final Game At UCLA

The Player: Lew Alcindor
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
The Date: 03/24/69

When we think of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, we think of the slender giant who glided up the court for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers, taking down basketball's greatest records one skyhook at a time. But Lew Alcindor? Now that was a radical man. Traveling from New York City to Los Angeles, learning under a basketball-savant of a coach in John Wooden, and standing up for what he believed in during the process. UCLA would go on to win the national title  over Purdue in a 92-72 victory. Alcindor was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, but outstanding would be just the beginning of the bespectacled big man.

31.

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No. 20 - Duke Gets Revenge On UNLV, Pulls Off The Upset

The Player: Bobby Hurley
The Sneaker: adidas Torsion Artillery II
The Date: 04/01/91

WIth a 45-game winning streak on their backs, UNLV entered the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament against Duke with supreme confidence. However, Christian Laettner's 28 points and Bobby Hurley's huge three at the end of the game gave the Blue Devils the upset over UNLV 79-77. Duke would go on to win their first NCAA championship in the next game over Kansas, but the win over UNLV exorcized the demons that would propel them on to further greatness.

32.

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No. 19 - Norfolk State Shocks The World, Upsets Missouri

The Player: Kyle O'Quinn
The Sneaker: Nike Air LeBron 9 Black
The Date: 03/16/12

For many fans, when the March Madness brackets were released, 99.9% of the people who looked at the matchup between Norfolk State and Missouri and penciled the Tigers in for an easy win over the Spartans. Kyle O'Quinn had other ideas. O'Quinn brutalized a thin Missouri lineup with an impressive 26-point, 14-rebound performance, and Norfolk State pulled off the biggest upset of the 2012 tournament. In the process, NSU became just the fifth 15 seed to upset a 2 in the NCAA tournament.

33.

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No. 18 - Mario Chalmers Delivers A Dagger To Memphis

The Player: Mario Chalmers
The Sneaker: adidas TS Lightspeed
The Date: 04/07/08

I happen to know a few folks from Memphis. These people love them some Memphis Tigers basketball. One thing I've come to learn about these folks is that should you ever decide to bring up the name "Mario Chalmers" around them, you'll probably get this response...

"F--k Mario Chalmers."

34.

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No. 17 - The Day Bryce Drew Made Everyone Learn How To Spell "Valparaiso"

The Player: Bryce Drew
The Sneaker: Nike Air Adjust Force
The Date: 03/13/98

They say that necessity breeds innovation. The largely unknown school named Valparaiso needed an innovative (i.e. desperate) play to pull off a monumental upset against the 4-seed Ole Miss Rebels in the first round of the 1998 NCAA tournament. The 13-seed was down 69-67 with less than ten seconds left, and Bryce Drew was about to make himself a household name to millions around the world.

Valpo named the play, "Pacer" and Jaime Sykes heaved a pass to Bill Jenkins was at midcourt. Jenkins leaped over a Rebel defender and immediately pushed the ball to an overlapping Drew. Drew immediately let fly a long three as time expired. The "shot" went in, and Valpo won 70-69. Innovative, indeed.

35.

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No. 16 - The Dream Game: Louisville Vs. Kentucky

The Player: Mel Turpin
The Sneaker: Converse Fast Break
The Date: 03/26/83

There's something to be said about craving something that you can't have. It makes you thirst for it more and more. You dream about it, you envision it in your mind day in and day out. For the Louisville Cardinals the inability to play the Kentucky Wildcats has always stuck in their proverbial craw, so when in 1983 the two in-state schools had the chance to finally meet up across the border in Knoxville, Tennessee, the Cardinal faithful were ready to roll.

Kentucky and Louisville battled to a 62-62 draw in regulation, but the Cardinals outscored UK 18-8 in the overtime period and Louisville made their way to the Final Four in New Mexico. A victory that tastes oh so sweet indeed.

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No. 15 - NC State's David Thompson Bests UCLA In 1974 

The Player: David Thompson
The Sneaker: adidas Shooting Star
The Date: 04/01/74

The giant on the floor was Bill Walton, the big man who could do all things for UCLA was the king of the court. You could call him Goliath. Unfortunately, Goliath wasn't ready for the David that would stand in his way, as David Thompson slingshotted himself in front of Walton to return his shot to sender. It was a symbolic moment for the NC State Wolfpack, one that would propel the upstart to a victory over UCLA in the National Semifinal. NC State would go on to beat Marquette in the final, but taking down the giant was the moment everyone would remember.

36.

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No. 14 - Mississippi State Vs. Loyola (Ill.) a.k.a. The Game That Changed The Game

The Player: Jerry Harkness
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
The Date: 03/15/63

Being defiant is something that revolutionaries take in stride. For the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 1963, being defiant wasn't a choice that was so black and white to make. Moreover, their second-round matchup versus the Loyola (Ill.) Ramblers would be filled with controversy, as  the state of Mississippi had an unwritten policy prohibiting white athletes from competing against non-whites. Loyola, had four black starters.

Mississippi State would take the trip to Lansing, Michigan to face-off against Loyola, without the permission of the state of Mississippi. The Bulldogs would lose to the Ramblers, 61-51, in what would be the lowest-scoring game in the eventual national champions slate of games. Many have said that this game was "the beginning of the end of segregation in college sports," as it goes to show that being defiant can do some awesome things.

37.

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No. 13 - John Wooden Wins The Title In His Last Game As Coach Of UCLA

The Player: Marques Johnson
The Sneaker: adidas Pro Model
The Date: 03/31/75

The 1975 Bruins were by UCLA standards, not one of John Wooden's best teams, but in a 92-85 victory over Kentucky in the national championship game gave the Wizard of Westwood his 10th NCAA crown in a 12-year span. Days before, Wooden announced that this would be his last ride as head coach, and players like Marques Johnson made sure that he ended his career as a winner.

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No. 12 - Tyus Edney Drives The Lane

The Player: Tyus Edney
The Sneaker: Reebok Swingman Hi
The Date: 03/19/95

Its amazing what you can do in 4.7 seconds. You can die a quick death in Call of Duty, you can change the channel 3-4 times on your television, and you might be able to clip two toenails. However, for Tyus Edney, all 4.7 seconds represented was enough time to go win a basketball game for the UCLA Bruins.

38.

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No. 11 - George Mason Busts Everyones Bracket, Reaches The Final Four

The Player: Tony Skinn
The Sneaker: Nike Huarache 64
The Date: 03/26/06

There aren't many teams I've rooted for harder, that weren't actually teams that I am a fan of, than George Mason. The 11 seeded Patriots took out four consecutive higher seeds, including a thrilling defeat of 1st-seeded Connecticut in an overtime regional final, to reach the Final Four. Those boys were fun to watch, they were having fun and I believed in them. I imagine, fans all across the country did as well.

39.

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No. 10 - Bo Kimble Goes Lefty

The Player: Bo Kimble
The Sneaker: Reebok Pump Bringback
The Date: 03/16/90

You never know how you'll be inspired, but when it hits you then you just act. For Bo Kimble, losing his best friend and teammate Hank Gathers, who lost his life seemingly on the basketball court, his inspiration came in honoring his boy. Shooting a left-handed free throw, in a manner similar to Hank, was something that was raw and transparent on camera. Bo, who said he never practiced it before, make the shot and carried Loyola Marymount to a spectacular effort in the 1990 NCAA tournament, eventually making it to the Elite Eight. In the Elite Eight, Loyola fell to eventual champion UNLV, but no one will ever forget Bo's symbolic gesture.


40.

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No. 9 - Bill Walton Goes To Work Vs. Memphis

The Player: Bill Walton
The Sneaker: adidas Shooting Star
The Date: 03/26/73

UCLA center Bill Walton scored a then record 44 points against Memphis State in the 1973 NCAA title game as the Bruins defeated the Tigers 87-66 in the process. Walton's performance didn't do anything but make NBA scouts drool, as the big redhead was only a junior and intended to come back to Westwood for one more year.

41.

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No. 8 - Chris Webber Calls That Infamous Timeout

The Player: Chris Webber
The Sneaker: Nike Air Force Max
The Date: 04/12/93

The timeout is memorable for two reasons.

  1. If you ask anyone who won the 1993 NCAA national championship, I would wager many would get it wrong. (Answer: North Carolina)
  2. If you ask anyone who the better team was between North Carolina and Michigan in 1993, I'd venture most would say Michigan.

If only Chris Webber hadn't called that timeout. (Or accepted all that money from that booster....but that's a different discussion for a different day.)

42.

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No. 7 - Keith Smart Sinks His Genius Shot Vs. Syracuse

The Player: Keith Smart
The Sneaker: adidas Conductor Hi
The Date: 03/30/87

Indiana's Keith Smart hit his "shot" that helped the Hoosiers win the 1987 NCAA national championship in a 74-73 victory against Syracuse. The "shot" brought Indiana their 5th NCAA championship, and by making the "shot", Bob Knight didn't throw a chair at anybody. A win-win for everyone involved.

43.

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No. 6 - Michael Jordan Begins His Clutch Journey, UNC Wins Their Second NCAA Championship

The Player: Michael Jordan
The Sneaker: Converse Pro Leather
The Date: 03/29/82

The freshman from North Carolina put his name on the national stage with his own "shot" versus Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA championship game. MJ would later say that his career began by making that jumper, and we sports fans have expected nothing less that the clutch gene on full display from MJ ever since.

44.

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No. 5 - Bird Vs. Magic, 1979 Edition

The Player: Larry Bird
The Sneaker: Converse Pro Leather
The Time: 03/24/79

The precursor of the greatest rivalry of a decade began in 1979 with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson squaring off in the national championship between Indiana State and Michigan State. Yes, the Celtics and the Lakers would eventually come calling, but what happened between the two on that day in Salt Lake City will never be forgotten. The Spartans brought home the title, but the clash between the two left all basketball fans clamoring for more.

45.

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No. 4 - Texas Western Puts An All-Black Lineup On The Floor, Beats Kentucky For NCAA Title

The Player: Harry Flournoy
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
The Date: 03/19/66

To make a statement to America, Texas Western head coach Don Haskins decided to put five black players into the starting lineup to face off against the blueblood Kentucky Wildcats in the 1966 NCAA national championship. The Miners defeated Kentucky 72-65 in the memorable title game, as the Miners season would later inspire a film titled, "Glory Road."

46.

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No. 3 - Villanova Upsets Georgetown

The Player: Ed Pinckney
The Sneaker: Nike Air Force 1
The Date: 04/01/85

The 1985 Villanova Wildcats were dubbed as heavy underdogs to the Patrick Ewing-led defending champion Georgetown Hoyas. Yet, under the direction of Rollie Massimino, Nova rolled out their secret weapon Ed Pinckney. Pinckney led Villanova University to a 66-64 win over Georgetown for the 1985 title, and was also named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after registering 16 points and 6 rebounds.

47.

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No. 2 - Lorenzo Charles' Dunk Lifts NC State To A Title Vs. Houston

The Player: Lorenzo Charles
The Sneaker: Puma Top Star
The Date: 04/04/83

The Houston Cougars and the North Carolina State Wolfpack squared off in the 1983 national championship and many expected Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler to be doing all the slammin' and jammin' in the title contest. Yet, NC State's Lorenzo Charles had the last laugh. Derek Whittenburg was forced to launch a long jumper from 30 feet which fell short, but Lorenzo Charles caught the air ball in mid-air and slammed it home before time expired to give North Carolina State a 54-52 victory and the national championship.

48.

christian-laettner-adidas-bank-shot copy

No. 1 - Laettner's Turnaround Beats Duke In The Elite Eight

The Player: Christian Laettner
The Sneaker: adidas Artillery II
The Date: 04/28/92

Eminem said, "you only get one shot." What Laettner did with his one shot versus Kentucky in the Elite Eight was nothing short of epic, as many have dubbed the contest, "one of the greatest games ever played." Catch, turn, and shoot...curtains for UK. Victory for Duke.

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Eddie Maisonet is the Editor-In-Chief of The Sportsfan Journal, contributor to SLAM Online and Sneaker Report, and loves women who wear big hoop earrings. Follow him on Twitter to keep up with more of his shenanigans and tomfoolery.