Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x
18 teams that nearly lost in the tournament only to go on and win the whole thing
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

18 teams that nearly lost in the tournament only to go on and win the whole thing

There are times in an NCAA Tournament when even the heavy favorite has a tough test, and its run for a championship nearly ends. Even though the team won, it may appear too flawed and not equipped to make a deep run. A little turbulence can happen on the way to paradise. 

 
1 of 19

18 teams that nearly lost in the NCAA Tournament only to win the whole thing

18 teams that nearly lost in the NCAA Tournament only to win the whole thing
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

There are times in an NCAA Tournament when even a heavy favorite faces a tough test, jeopardizing its run for a championship. And even though it wins that challenge, it may appear too flawed to make a deep run. A little turbulence can happen on the way to paradise.

As past tournaments have shown, it isn't always a cakewalk to a national title. Let's look back at 18 national champions that had close calls. We're not looking at nearly losing the actual championship game, but...with one exception...at nearly losing a game leading up to the Final Four.  

 
2 of 19

1957: North Carolina 74, Michigan State 70 (three OT)

1957: North Carolina 74, Michigan State 70 (three OT)
Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images

When people look back at the 1957 Tar Heels, they usually talk about their triple-overtime win over Wilt Chamberlain's Kansas Jayhawks. What is forgotten is the national semifinal against Michigan State the day before when North Carolina went another three overtimes to beat the Spartans. The game couldn't have been closer, as the two teams were tied at the half, at regulation and in each of the first two overtimes. In the first overtime, the Heels' Pete Brennan rebounded a missed Spartans free throw and drove the length of the floor to tie the game at the buzzer. Center Lennie Rosenbluth took over in the third overtime and sent Carolina to the title game. 

 
3 of 19

1966: Texas Western 81, Kansas 80 (2OT)

1966: Texas Western 81, Kansas 80 (2OT)
Rich Clarkson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Texas Western's historic win over Kentucky in the 1966 national championship nearly didn't happen. In the West regional final, Kansas erased a late five-point deficit to send its game with Texas Western into overtime. In the first overtime, Kansas' Jo Jo White hit a shot from the corner to win the game. The referees, however, ruled that White's foot was out of bounds and the shot didn't count. In the second overtime, the Miners took control and eked out the one-point win. 

 
4 of 19

1971: UCLA 57, Long Beach State 55

1971: UCLA 57, Long Beach State 55
Rich Clarkson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

UCLA's amazing championship streak nearly ended at three (which is still amazing) when Long Beach State had the Bruins on the ropes. The 49ers, who were No. 3 in the polls and coached by Jerry Tarkanian, led the Bruins by seven points with about five minutes left when leading scorer Ed Ratleff fouled out and the bottom dropped. In a tie game late, Long Beach State's Dwight Taylor missed a jumper that UCLA rebounded and took it down the other end and scored. 

 
5 of 19

1977: Marquette 67, Kansas State 66

1977: Marquette 67, Kansas State 66
Marquette/Collegiate Images/Getty Images

Marquette's close win over Kansas State in the second round (which was the Sweet 16 then) became cause for a rule change going forward. K State was down three late when Darryl Winston was fouled while he tipped in a shot. (At that time a tip wasn't considered a controlled shot, so the made basket didn't count because of the foul.) So instead of Winston getting an and-one to tie the game, the basket was waved off and he had two foul shots (which he hit). Marquette would hold on to the one-point lead and go on to win the national championship a week later. The following year, the NCAA ruled that tips can be counted as continuation when they are fouled. 

 
6 of 19

1980: Louisville 71, Kansas State 69 (OT)

1980: Louisville 71, Kansas State 69 (OT)
Kevin W. Reece/Sporting News via Getty Images

In those days, top-seeded teams had byes in the tournament and third-seeded Louisville hadn't played since winning the Metro Conference title a week earlier. Kansas State just toppled Ohio State and was ready for the Cardinals. K State's Rolando Blackman sent the game into overtime with a jumper with a few seconds remaining in the game. Louisville star Darrell Griffin fouled out, and Denny Crum decided to stall over the final minutes before Tony Branch hit a shot that banged around on the rim before falling for the 71-69 win. 

 
7 of 19

1983: NC State 69, Pepperdine 67 (2OT)

1983: NC State 69, Pepperdine 67 (2OT)
Focus on Sport/Getty Images

NC State's miracle run to the 1983 national championship featured several close games including the first, a 69-67, double-overtime win over Pepperdine. The Wolfpack trailed Pepperdine by five with just 54 seconds remaining in the first overtime, but luck was on their side. The Waves would make just two of six free throws down the stretch, while NC State tied the game with stick backs. After winning this game in double overtime, the Wolfpack would have close wins over UNLV (71-70) and Virginia (63-62) prior to their improbable ending against Houston for the national championship. 

 
8 of 19

1985: Villanova 51, Dayton 49

1985: Villanova 51, Dayton 49
Villanova University/Collegiate Images/Getty Images

One of the tournament's greatest stories is the 1985 Villanova Wildcats win over Georgetown for the national championship. However, that nearly didn't happen. Villanova faced Dayton in the first round of the tournament with the game being played in Dayton. Ed Pinckney scored 20 points and hit some big shots late in the game to pull out just a two-point win. 

 
9 of 19

1987: Indiana 77, LSU 76

1987: Indiana 77, LSU 76
Bernstein Associates/Getty Images

LSU led the Hoosiers by nine with 4:38 left in the game but would literally give the game away to Indiana. LSU committed four turnovers and got up only one shot attempt down the stretch — a 6-footer by Nikita Wilson that hit the front rim at the buzzer. Indiana went on a 10-0 run to pull the game out and reach its first Final Four since its 1981 championship season. This game also had a classic Bobby Knight meltdown, as he went on a five-minute tantrum on an official during which he kicked a chair and pounded a table.

 
10 of 19

1988: Kansas 61, Murray State 58

1988: Kansas 61, Murray State 58
Bettmann/Getty Images

"Danny and the Miracles" wouldn't have happened if the Jayhawks hadn't made a comeback to beat Murray State in the second round of the 1988 NCAA Tournament. Down 58-57 with 51 seconds to play, Danny Manning hit a hook shot to give Kansas the one-point lead. The Racers...way before a kid named Ja Morant was even born...gave the ball to Don Mann to win the game. Mann drove to the basket, but his scoop shot missed the mark. Manning got the rebound, was immediately fouled and hit two free throws to seal the win. 

 
11 of 19

1990: UNLV 69, Ball State 67

1990: UNLV 69, Ball State 67
UNLV/ Collegiate Images/Getty Images

One of the greatest teams of all time nearly didn't get a chance to win a national championship. In the 1990 Sweet 16, the Rebels were leading the Cardinals by 11 in the second half and seemingly had the game in hand. Ball State scrapped back and got the margin down to two with 19 seconds remaining, as UNLV guard Greg Anthony was fouled. Anthony missed the front end of the one-and-one, and the Cards set up a final play that was doomed. Players slipped and got a bit nervous, and an errant pass was intercepted, ultimately ending the game. Ball State never got a shot up. 

 
12 of 19

1992: Duke 103, Kentucky 102 (OT)

1992: Duke 103, Kentucky 102 (OT)
Focus on Sport/Getty Images

We all know about the shot. Duke, down 102-101 to Kentucky with 2.1 seconds left in overtime of the 1992 East regional final, pulled off one of the most famous walk-offs in sports history. Grant Hill threw an inbounds pass nearly 80 feet to Christian Laettner, who took a dribble, turned around and hit the shot as time expired. It is thought of as the best game in NCAA Tournament history, and the win propelled the defending champion Blue Devils to another championship. 

 
13 of 19

1995: UCLA 75, Missouri 74

1995: UCLA 75, Missouri 74
J.D. Cuban/Getty Images

UCLA won its record 11th national championship...and the lone title the school won without John Wooden...in 1995. The Bruins coasted most of the way except for their second-round battle with Missouri. The Tigers led by a point with 4.8 seconds left in the game when Tyus Edney took the inbounds pass and, with some nifty dribbling, went the length of the floor to hit a floater as time expired, giving the Bruins the 75-74 win. 

 
14 of 19

1997: Arizona 96, Providence 92 (OT)

1997: Arizona 96, Providence 92 (OT)
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

You could pick about any game during Arizona's run to its lone national championship. The Wildcats trailed South Alabama and College of Charleston by double digits in the second halves of their first two tournament games and would go toe-to-toe with title favorite Kansas before ousting the Jayhawks. But the Providence game was the best of the bunch. The Friars, despite Austin Croshere fouling out, made a furious comeback to tie the game late and had a shot to win it but missed. Arizona would end up winning the game in overtime, 96-92, behind 30 points from Miles Simon. 

 
15 of 19

1998: Kentucky 86, Duke 84

1998: Kentucky 86, Duke 84
Andy Lyons /Allsport /Getty Images

Kentucky trailed top-seeded Duke by 18 points in the first half of the regional final in St. Petersburg. The Wildcats spent the bulk of the game clawing back and would take their first lead with 2:15 left in the game. Over the final minutes, the Blue Devils and Wildcats would go back and forth, causing everyone to remember their epic tournament game from six years earlier. This time it was Kentucky with the big shot, as Scott Padgett hit a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining that gave the Wildcats the lead to stay. 

 
16 of 19

2008: Kansas 59, Davidson 57

2008: Kansas 59, Davidson 57
David T. Foster III/Charlotte Observer/MCT via Getty Images

Kansas led Davidson by six points late before a Steph Curry three-pointer would eventually get the lead down to two. The Wildcats would get the ball back with 16.8 left, but Curry was double-teamed and couldn't get a shot off. He would pass it to Jason Richards, whose three was way off the mark. Kansas would go on to the Final Four where it would eventually trail Memphis by nine points with two minutes remaining in the national championship game. The Jayhawks would send the game into overtime before ultimately winning the title.

 
17 of 19

2014: UConn 89, St. Joseph's 81 (OT)

2014: UConn 89, St. Joseph's 81 (OT)
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

No one could have figured that No. 7 UConn's 89-81 overtime win over St. Joseph's was the beginning of a championship run. The Hawks led the Huskies by three when Amida Brimah hit a shot and was fouled with 39 seconds remaining. Brimah hit the free throw, and the two teams would head into overtime. UConn would own the extra frame and win the game on its way to one of the most improbable runs to a championship, stunning Villanova, Iowa State, Michigan State, Florida and Kentucky to win its fourth title. 

 
18 of 19

2017: North Carolina 75, Kentucky 73

2017: North Carolina 75, Kentucky 73
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

North Carolina nearly lost several times in its run to the 2017 championship (down late against Arkansas and Gonzaga and down double digits to Oregon), but the most nerve-racking was its 75-73 win over Kentucky in the regional finals. The Tar Heels were down five when they went on a 12-0 run to take the lead. Kentucky would ultimately tie the game with 10 seconds left when Carolina ran down the length of the floor, and Luke Maye hit the game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining. 

 
19 of 19

2019: Virginia 80, Purdue 75 (OT)

2019: Virginia 80, Purdue 75 (OT)
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia had a penchant for playing close games during the 2019 NCAA Tournament. After beating feisty Oregon by four in the Sweet 16, the Cavs had a showdown for the ages against Purdue in the South Regional final. Mamadi Diakite hit a jumper after rebounding a missed free throw as time expired in regulation to send the game into overtime. Virginia would win in the extra frame despite Purdue's Carsen Edwards' 42 points to reach its first Final Four since 1984. UVa would go on to play tight games against Auburn (63-62) and Texas Tech (another overtime win) on its way to its first-ever national championship. 

Shiloh Carder

Shiloh Carder has over 20 years experience in covering sports for various websites and has been with Yardbarker since 2009. A Charlotte, NC native who now lives outside Cincinnati, he has covered college basketball, college football, NFL and NBA.  You can find him on Twitter/X at @SportzAssassin

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

TODAY'S BEST

NFL analyst says teams should be 'extremely scared' of this franchise in 2025
NFL

NFL analyst says teams should be 'extremely scared' of this franchise in 2025

While the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have garnered a lot of attention lately, there is one NFC team that has quietly been flying under the radar. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a one-score game to the Lions in the divisional round in 2023 and followed that up with another one-score loss to QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders last season, proving how close they have been to the ultimate prize in the two seasons with Baker Mayfield under center. In an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" Tuesday morning, analyst and former player Ryan Clark offered high praise for Mayfield and what the Buccaneers are capable of. "Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback in this league," Clark said. "Baker Mayfield is a football player. And when I say that, I know people at home are gonna be like, 'Duh, he gets paid to play football.' No, not all quarterbacks are seen as football players. Not all quarterbacks are embraced in the locker room as one of us." Clark sees the Buccaneers as a team the rest of the league should be paying attention to because of who they have returning and the close calls in the playoffs the last two seasons. "This is a team that's been on the cusp the last two years," Clark said. "Now you think about some of the pieces they've added, the confidence in their quarterback and the way that he plays, and Todd Bowles with another year to understand winning at a high level at the head coach position. This is a team you better be extremely scared of because they're stacked and they're confident." Mayfield has been sensational during his time with the Buccaneers. Although he did throw 16 interceptions, Mayfield accounted for the third-most passing yards (4,500) in the league last season and has thrown the most TD passes (69) in the last two seasons, per StatMuse. To add even more incentive for Mayfield, the team restructured his contract, which is set to expire after the 2026 season, to include $30M in guaranteed salary for that season. The Buccaneers return a lot of production on both sides of the ball, in addition to bringing in first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, who topped 1,000 receiving yards twice at Ohio State and accounted for 26 total TDs. While Tampa Bay allowed the 17th-most points per game (22.7) last season, it returns the majority of its defensive production. On top of that, the offseason acquisition of veteran LB and two-time Pro-Bowler Haason Reddick, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal, should be a welcomed addition for a franchise that had some question marks on defense last season. The Buccaneers are projected to have the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season and have the best chance to win the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season, according to ESPN Analytics. If Mayfield can cut back on his turnovers and the defense can create more pressure on opposing QBs, the Buccaneers could be a threat in the NFC once again as they look to put their recent nail-biting losses in the postseason behind them.

Chicago Cubs OF suffers big injury before trade deadline
MLB

Chicago Cubs OF suffers big injury before trade deadline

The Chicago Cubs are down another bat with two days to go before the trade deadline on Thursday. The Cubs had more frustrating injury news to reveal after a second-straight loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. The Brewers defeated Chicago 9-3 in front of 40,136 fans at American Family Field to take a two-game lead over the Cubs for first place in the NL Central. Per Jesse Rogers of ESPN, the Cubs thought they received good news on Ian Happ after x-rays came back negative on the outfielder’s shin. “Happ got x-rays that were negative after fouling a ball off his left shin,” Rogers posted on X. “Was limping some just now in the Cubs room. Jackson Chourio (hammy spasm) says he’s feeling better. Doesn’t think it’s serious.” Chicago Cubs to put Ian Happ on IL About an hour later, Rogers reported that Chicago is expected to put Happ on the injured list. The Cubs are set to call up Moises Ballesteros from Iowa. “Looks like the Happ injury might require an IL stint,” Rogers posted. “The team is calling up Moises Ballesteros from Triple-A, per a source. He’s hitting .331 down there. He had a cup of coffee with the big league team earlier this year.” Happ’s injury comes at a time when the Cubs are looking to trade for an extra bat. Chicago needs help on offense with inconsistency coming from rookie third baseman Matt Shaw. Happ was batting .227 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI. Bottom line, the Cubs need to make some moves by Thursday if this team wants to compete for the NL Central, much less a World Series.

Raiders' Pete Carroll has cryptic comments on bizarre Christian Wilkins situation
NFL

Raiders' Pete Carroll has cryptic comments on bizarre Christian Wilkins situation

There have been a couple of different theories floated about why the Las Vegas Raiders made the shocking decision to cut star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, but head coach Pete Carroll has no interest in sharing the real motive. The Raiders released Wilkins on Thursday, which was barely a year after they signed him to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency. Initial reports suggested Wilkins and the team were at odds over how the 29-year-old's foot injury was being handled, but the story has since taken a bizarre turn. ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday that there was an incident between Wilkins and a teammate in the locker room that Wilkins viewed as playful, but his teammate did not take it that way. Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported that the incident took place in a meeting room at the Raiders' facility last week and was investigated by the team's human resources department. On Tuesday, a reporter asked Carroll about the alleged incident. The 73-year-old coach refused to get into it. "I have no comment to make,” Carroll said, via The Athletic. “We made a decision on what we’re doing, and we’re moving with it. We’ll see how that all unveils itself in time.” The last part of Carroll's comment is interesting. Carroll may have been saying time will tell how the decision to cut Wilkins will turn out for the Raiders, or he may have been insinuating that more information will come out at some point. Raiders defensive tackle Adam Nelson was also asked about Wilkins on Tuesday. Nelson responded by encouraging people to seek therapy if they are struggling with something in their life. Wilkins had 17 total tackles and a pair of sacks in five games with the Raiders before he suffered his season-ending foot injury.

Mets’ Juan Soto breaks silence on concerning injury after blowout loss to Padres
MLB

Mets’ Juan Soto breaks silence on concerning injury after blowout loss to Padres

The New York Mets, despite plenty of ups and downs, have been one of the best teams in all of Major League Baseball so far this season, but they know they will need to stay healthy in order to stay at the top of the NL East and make a push for a World Series. On Tuesday night, the Mets suffered a significant injury. During the fourth inning of a critical series against the San Diego Padres, star outfielder Juan Soto fouled a ball off of his foot and was pulled from the game with a foot contusion. After the game, Soto gave an optimistic update on the status of his foot, via SNY. “I think it’s gonna be good,” Soto said. “I think it’s gonna be good. We’ve just got to get the swelling down. Whenever the swelling is down, I think we’re gonna be fine. X-rays are negative, so it’s a good sign. We’ve just got to wait for the swelling to come down and go back to where I’m at.” Soto also addressed his pain level after the game, after appearing to be in a world of hurt when he went down on the field originally. “It’s actually numb,” he said. “I don’t feel anything right now. It’s getting a little stiff but we’re gonna see in the morning how it goes.” Soto has been finding his stride of late for the Mets after some rocky moments earlier in the season, so New York will want to have him back in the lineup as soon as he can possibly get out there. For the season coming into Tuesday, Soto had racked up 25 home runs and 62 RBI. He was hitting just .249, but was still an on-base machine with an MLB-leading 84 walks. The Padres went on to beat the Mets very comfortably in a 7-1 blowout on Tuesday night, but New York still sits in the top spot in the NL East by a half-game over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets and Phillies are two of the best teams in baseball, so the health of a player like Soto can go a long way toward deciding who comes out on top.