The Ten Best Games I Watched This Season

I’ll count it down to build in some suspense.

The Braylon Mullins game-winning shot was the moment of the tournament. It will go down in UConn and March Madness history, and hitting it to beat No. 1 Duke makes it all the more special.

The game of the year in the SEC was headlined by a head-to-head battle between the conference’s two best guards. Freshman sensation Darius Acuff Jr. scored a season-high 49 points and played all 50 minutes in this one and it still wasn’t enough. Alabama’s Labaron Philon had 35 points of his own and freshman big Aidan Sherrell was a difference-maker down low in Alabama’s thrilling win. Acuff’s clutch three to send it to overtime was the moment of the game; overtime was sloppier but regulation was pure entertainment.

I’ll take some inspiration from ‘The Godfather’ here. Just when I thought I was out on UCLA, Mick Cronin pulled me back in. Donovan Dent’s best game in a UCLA jersey ended with a full-court drive for the win. Between the scoring, programs involved, and ending, this was the best Big Ten game of the season for me.

Santa Clara’s Allen Graves was almost the hero, but it was Otega Oweh’s heroic three-pointer that will be remembered forever. He saved Kentucky’s season (for a couple of days, at least) and banked in the only shot that contends with Mullins’ in this year’s tournament. Santa Clara was one of the most fun mid-majors in the sport this season and one of my personal favorite teams to watch. Despite the loss, the Broncos represented themselves well. It was a banner day for Oweh, who, despite Kentucky’s struggles, scored 35 in his penultimate act in Wildcat blue.

This is the only non-conference regular season game that made my list. If you missed out on this game, I feel for you. This game was the Melvin Council Jr. show; he scored 36 and gathered seven rebounds as he dragged Kansas to victory. NC State was under pressure in this one after putting together a lackluster out-of-conference resume. This game was tied at halftime, then again at the end of regulation. The Wolfpack had a last-second shot but missed it, then KU pulled out the win in overtime.

Seth Trimble, the fourth-year Tar Heel, completing North Carolina’s comeback and drilling a game-winning three to beat Duke is storybook stuff. There’s something special about Tobacco Road.

Miami entered 30-0, needing to beat rivals Ohio to complete the perfect regular season. OU’s Jackson Paveletzke did everything he could, but it wasn’t enough to stop Miami’s perfect year. It’s hard to explain, but there was a little bit of magic involved in Miami’s final few games; you could feel it if you watched. While it may not be known to some, this is a legitimate rivalry and the Convocation Center was rocking. One of the best games and atmospheres in not just the MAC this season, but the entire country.

The best game of the regular season, hands down. This was vintage Big 12 basketball. TCU played high-energy, technically sound basketball for much of the second half to build its lead. The Horned Frogs got up by as many as 16 and, with 5:06 left, their win probability was 99.1% (ESPN Analytics). Then, “Phog Magic” showed up. Anyone who has watched Bill Self’s Kansas teams knew that KU wouldn’t go down at home without a fight, and sure enough, the Jayhawks clawed back. After an unreal finish, Kansas prevailed in a high-scoring overtime period and wrapped up one of the most chaotic and enthralling wins of the season.

A near-perfect basketball game. The two best teams in the best conference competing for a trophy, what more could you ask for? There was so much talent on the floor in this game. Between the swings and the thrilling ending, it has a case for game of the year but just barely missed out on my No. 1 spot.

Forty minutes of college basketball perfection.

• High Point 83, Wisconsin 82 (NCAA Tournament)

• Dayton 70, Saint Louis 69 (A10 Tournament)

• Nebraska 83, Illinois 80

• Iowa 73, Florida 72 (NCAA Tournament)

• Wisconsin 91, Michigan 88

• Duke 67, Florida 66

• Michigan 68, Wisconsin 65 (Big Ten Tournament)

• Stanford 78, Saint Louis 77

• Michigan 85, Wake Forest 84 (OT)

• VCU 82, North Carolina 78 (OT | NCAA Tournament)