Remember the buzzer beating shots, stunning upsets, near misses and great players of NCAA tournaments past? Well, now you can relive the excitement. ESPN Classic will celebrate the NCAA basketball tournament each Friday in February by presenting three classic games from tournaments past. Only games since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 have been included. Each week Classic 64, presented by Subaru, will spotlight a different round. The Classic 64 Elite Eight selections will air on Friday, Feb. 23.
ESPN Classic wants your help in selecting the games. Here is our list of ten memorable Final Four games. Vote for your favorite game. The three highest vote getters will be shown on March 2. If you need a reminder about the games, check out the recaps listed below. Please check back on Monday, Feb. 26 to see who you have selected and to vote on the National Championship games.
Classic 64's Final Four winners
Our users have selected these three games for the Final Four round of our Classic 64 tournament. With 25% of the over 34,000 votes, Duke's 79-77 OT win over UNLV in 1991 was our leading vote getter. Second with 18.1% was Kentucky's 86-85 OT win over Stanford in 1998. Michigan's 83-81 OT win over rival Illinois in 1989 was third with 16.2%. Here is the lineup:
Friday, Feb. 23
7:30 a.m. ET - 1989: Michigan 83, Illinois 81
1 p.m. ET - 1998: Kentucky 86, Stanford 85 (OT)
3:30 p.m. ET - 1991: Duke 79, UNLV 77
Duke 71, Kansas 67
March 29, 1986
Dallas, TX
Duke, the nation's No. 1-ranked team, got a decisive rebound basket from freshman center Danny Ferry and benefited from a charging call on Kansas forward Ron Kellogg to defeat No. 2 Kansas. Ferry missed on the front end of a one-and-one, and Kellogg, who scored 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting, got another scoring opportunity. But he missed on a hurried 16-foot jump shot with four seconds left, and 5-11 Duke guard Tommy Amaker got the rebound and converted his free throws for the game's final margin. Johnny Dawkins, Duke's All-American super-quick guard, scored a game-high 24 points.
Did You Know?
Kansas' star forward Danny Manning was held to four points and fouled out with 2:47 remaining. The four points was his lowest output of the season.
It was the 21st straight win for Duke (37-2). The Blue Devils' 37 victories broke the all-time collegiate record for basketball wins in a season.
Louisville coach Denny Crum was a player and assistant coach under John Wooden at UCLA.
Duke forced 90 turnovers in their first five tournament games.
Indiana 97, UNLV 93
March 28, 1987
New Orleans, LA
Bobby Knight's hustling Hoosiers out-clawed Jerry Tarkanian's Runnin' Rebels as a crowd of 64,959 remained in an uproar until the very finish. Freddie Banks fueled the last Las Vegas rally by hitting the last of his 10 three-point shots. But the 6-3, 155-pound senior could not make the front end of a one-and-one situation when Indiana led by only 92-88 with 28 seconds left. Two free throws by All-America Steve Alford at :23 then cinched it. Banks led all scorers with 38. Alford had 33 points and UNLV's Armon Gilliam had 32.
Did You Know?
Indiana, despite being outscored by 39-6 in three-pointers, shot 61.7 percent for the game against Las Vegas' 42.7.
Indiana scored 11 more points from the free throw line.
Banks hit 10 of 19 three-point attempts but UNLV was just 10-for-19 from the free throw line.
Oklahoma 86, Arizona 78
April 2, 1988
Kansas City, MO
Oklahoma (35-3) placed five players in double figures, led by Stacy King and Horace Grant with 21 points each. King sat out the final nine minutes with four fouls. Sean Elliott led Arizona with 31 points. Anthony Cook added 16 points. When Arizona sliced the Oklahoma lead to 62-57 on Elliott's three-pointer, the Sooners responded by scoring eight consecutive points. Arizona led 9-2 early on before the Sooners went on a 34-13 tear during a 13-minute stretch that put them up, 36-22. OU's pressure would force Arizona to have to play from behind throughout the rest of the contest.
Did You Know?
Arizona was called for traveling seven times.
Arizona guard Steve Kerr, normally a 60 percent shooter from three-point range, hit just two of 12 three-pointers.
Oklahoma forced 15 Arizona turnovers.
OU averaged 103.5 points per game, 2nd best in the country.
Michigan 83, Illinois 81
April 1, 1989
Seattle, WA
After 33 lead changes, the biggest change of all was for Michigan. Illinois, one of the best offensive rebounding teams in America, was beaten on an offensive rebound. With two seconds to play, Sean Higgins took an offensive rebound and scored from short range, giving Michigan a two-point victory. The victory was sealed when Glen Rice, Michigan's hottest hand during the tournament, intercepted a length-of-the-court inbounds pass by Illinois' Steve Bardo as time ran out. Rice led the Wolverines with 28 points. Michigan used a combination of its size advantage, the scoring of Rice, the ball-handling of Rumeal Robinson and the 16 rebounds of center Loy Vaught to prevail.
Did You Know?
Michigan grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.
The loss ended a 10-game Illinois winning streak and was the first this season for the Illini with playmaker Kendall Gill in the lineup. With Gill, who missed a portion of the season with a broken foot, in the lineup, the Illini were 23-0 this season.
Rice scored 14 of his team's 20 points as the clock wound down from 9:37 to 2:56.
The lead changed hands 17 times in the first half.
Kansas 79, North Carolina 73
March 30, 1991
Indianapolis, IN
In a game featuring stong inside play and 40 minutes of pressure man-to-man defense, Dean Smith and his Tar Heels were upset 79-73 by an unheralded Jayhawks team coached by former UNC assistant Roy Williams. Mark Randall had 16 and Richard Scott added 14 for Kansas. Hubert Davis led Carolina with 26 points. Dean Smith was ejected after picking up his second technical with 35 seconds left.
Did You Know?
Dean Smith's ejection was only the third of his career and first in 14 years.
Kansas coach Roy Williams served as an assistant to Smith at UNC for 10 years.
Kansas and UNC combined for a seven of 32 performance from 3-point range.
Dean Smith played at Kansas.
Duke 79, UNLV 77
March 30, 1991
Indianapolis, IN
In a game that featured 17 ties and 25 lead changes, Duke outlasted UNLV 79-77 and gained a measure of revenge against the team that had embarassed them in the previous year's national title game. Christian Laettner, who scored 28 points, hit two free throws with 13 seconds left to give the Blue Devils a 79-77 lead. Vegas had one more shot, but Anderson Hunt's desperation shot bounced off the rim. Bobby Hurley grabbed the rebound, cradled the ball, and then threw the ball up toward the Hoosier Dome ceiling.
Did You Know?
UNLV beat Duke by 30 in the previous year's title game, 103-73.
Duke's win stopped UNLV's 45-game winning streak.
The Runnin' Rebels had a 28-point average margin of victory during the season.
UNLV only trailed a total of 1 minute, 21 seconds in the second half of games in the 1990-91 season.
Duke 81 Indiana 78
April 4, 1992
Minneapolis, MN
Duke beat Indiana 81-78 overcoming a tentative start, and a shaky finish to advance to the championship game. After trailing by 12 points with two minutes to play in the first half, the Blue Devils turned it around with a great defensive performance. Duke's defensive led to a 25-point turnaround in 11 minutes and provided just enough cushion to withstand Indiana's last rally. Bobby Hurley led Duke with 26 points, including six 3-pointers. Indiana's Todd Leary hit three 3-pointers in the final 53 seconds to lead the Hoosiers's last charge.
Did You Know?
Duke's Christian Laettner was named Player of the Year.
Indiana's Todd Leary had played only 12 minutes in the Hoosiers previous four NCAA tournament games.
Indiana didn't score its first second-half point until 6:14 had elapsed.
Michigan 81 Kentucky 78 (OT)
April 3, 1993
New Orleans, LA
Michigan used a tenacious man-to-man defense and dominating performance on the boards to beat Kentucky 81-78 in OT. Chris Webber, who had 27 points and 13 rebounds, gave the Wolverines the lead for good with 41 seconds left. Jamal Mashburn scored 26 points for the Wildcats before fouling out with 3:23 left in OT. Kentucky missed a 3-pointer, but got the ball back with four seconds left. Webber deflected the inbounds pass to seal the win.
Did You Know?
This was the second straight year that Kentucky's season ended with an overtime loss. (Last year Duke won a 104-103 OT thriller over Kentucky.)
Michigan advanced to the championship game for the second straight year.
After Jamal Mashburn fouled out with 3:23 left in OT, Kentucky scored only two points.
Michigan's Chris Webber, a 54 percent free throw shooter during the season, was 7 for 9 from the line.
Kentucky 81 UMass 74
March 30, 1996
East Rutherford, NJ
Kentucky held off a late charge by Massachusetts 81-74 to advance to the title game. The Minutemen cut a 15-point second half deficit to three with 1:02 left, before Kentucky closed them out. Tony Delk scored 20 and Antoine Walker 14 for Kentucky. Marcus Camby led UMass with 25 points.
Did You Know?
Kentucky coach Rick Pitino is a UMass graduate.
Entering this game, Kentucky had won its four tournament games by an average of 28 points.
On Nov. 28, UMass beat Kentucky 92-82 behind Marcus Camby's 32 points.
Kentucky's win sent them to their first title game since 1978.
Kentucky 86 Stanford 85 (OT)
March 28, 1998
San Antonio, TX
Kentucky, led by the timely three-point shooting of Jeff Sheppard, outlasted Stanford 86-85 in OT. Kentucky, which twice trailed by 10 points, didn't take the lead until 10:04 remained in regulation. Stanford's Arthur Lee sent the game into OT with a three-pointer. Sheppard led the Wildcats with 27 points. Lee scored 26 for the Cardinal.
Did You Know?
Kentucky's Jeff Sheppard had three 3-points baskets off inbounds situations.
Stanford's Mark Madsen was directly or indirectly responsible for 12 of the Cardinal's 17 second half/OT second-chance points.
Kentucky's win advanced them to the schools's third consecutive national championship game.
Stanford's last won the national championship in 1942.
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