Fansided

March Madness: 10 best moments from the NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend

By Mike Phillips

COLUMBIA, SC - MARCH 24: Aubrey Dawkins #15 of the Central Florida Knights puts up a shot as time expires in their game against the Duke Blue Devils during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. Duke won 77-76. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SC - MARCH 24: Aubrey Dawkins #15 of the Central Florida Knights puts up a shot as time expires in their game against the Duke Blue Devils during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. Duke won 77-76. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – MARCH 23: Bryce Brown #2 of the Auburn Tigers looks on during their game against the Kansas Jayhawks in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – MARCH 23: Bryce Brown #2 of the Auburn Tigers looks on during their game against the Kansas Jayhawks in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

6. Auburn buries Kansas and makes Charles Barkley proud

The last game of the day on Saturday saw Auburn absolutely demolish Kansas to earn their place in the Sweet 16. The Tigers took advantage of an underperforming Jayhawks’ squad, shooting 52.3% from the floor and knocking down 13 threes to run Kansas out of the gym.

While the nation got to enjoy some really sweet shooting from Auburn, they also got to check out plenty of Charles Barkley’s ridiculous setup in the studio. While most analysts like to be neutral on the national stage, Sir Charles doesn’t roll like that.

The studio show should be fascinating in the Sweet 16 when Barkley’s Tigers take on North Carolina, the school where his longtime broadcast partner Kenny Smith starred in the mid-’80s.

5. R.J. Barrett’s dunk against North Dakota State

The poor North Dakota State Bisons knew they were going to get buried by Duke, but they had to anticipate they would end up on the highlight reel at some point. Fortunately for them, none of their players were in the picture for R.J. Barrett’s electrifying dunk.

Shortly after a missed free throw, Barrett leaked out ahead of the pack and elevated for a truly spectacular reverse dunk to give the Blue Devils their signature moment of the game. What made this moment even more incredible was seeing the pure joy on Zion Williamson’s face to see his teammate’s work of art.

Don’t believe us? Check out this awesome photo montage of the dunk from start to finish.

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