Unforgettable March Madness Moments

31 Legendary Moments in History of NCAA Tournament

ByABC News
March 13, 2008, 10:02 AM

March 13, 2008 — -- March is a month full of memorable individual performances. Here are 31 legendary March moments:

March 21, 1945: George Mikan, DePaul, NIT semifinals vs. Rhode Island.Mikan scored 53 points, equaling URI's total, in a 97-53 win. His 53 points are an NIT record for games played at Madison Square Garden.

March 25, 1952: Clyde Lovellette, Kansas, NCAA regional final vs. St. Louis. Lovellette scored 44 points for the Jayhawks in a 74-55 win over St. Louis. He followed that up with 33 points in the Final Four against Santa Clara and 33 points and 17 rebounds in the national title win over St. John's.

March 23, 1956: Bill Russell, San Francisco, national championship game vs. Iowa. Russell had 26 points and 27 rebounds as the Dons defended their national championship.

March 21, 1959: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati, NCAA third-place game vs. Louisville. Robertson had the first triple-double in Final Four history with 39 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in a 98-85 victory over Louisville.

March 20, 1965: Bill Bradley, Princeton, NCAA third-place game vs. Wichita State. Bradley set a Final Four record with 58 points on 22-for-29 shooting in a 118-82 rout of Wichita State. Bradley also went 14-for-15 from the free-throw line and had a team-best four assists.

March 9, 1968: Elvin Hayes, Houston, NCAA first round vs. Loyola (Ill.). Take your pick from Hayes' performances in Houston's three wins in this tournament. He had 49 points and 27 rebounds in this game, 35 points and 24 rebounds in the regional semis against Louisville, and 39 points and 25 rebounds in the regional final against TCU.

March 7, 1970: Austin Carr, Notre Dame, NCAA first round vs. Ohio. Carr scored 61 points in a 112-82 win. He was 25 of 44 from the field. His points, field goals made and field goals attempted are still NCAA Tournament records. This was the best of three 50-plus point games for Carr in NCAA Tournament play.

March 26, 1973: Bill Walton, UCLA, national championship game vs. Memphis State. Perhaps the greatest individual effort of all time, Walton had 44 points on 21-for-22 shooting and 13 rebounds while playing with four fouls for most of the second half as the Bruins defended their national championship.