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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 21: Head coach Greg Herenda of the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights embraces Nadi Beciri #24 of the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights after a basket against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 21, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Gonzaga Bulldogs won 87-49. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – MARCH 21: Head coach Greg Herenda of the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights embraces Nadi Beciri #24 of the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights after a basket against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 21, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Gonzaga Bulldogs won 87-49. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

4. Fairleigh Dickinson’s Nadi Beciri has his one shining moment

While a lot of fans look at March Madness as a tournament for the big boys, it’s important to remember that the little guys are what makes this event special. A true case in point came in the midst of Gonzaga’s First Round rout of 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday.

The Knights were thoroughly outclassed throughout the game, but they were able to leave Salt Lake City with their heads held high when senior Nadi Beciri got on the floor and scored a layup late in the blowout victory. Beciri, who has been sidelined for almost the whole season with a back injury, got medical clearance to play in the game and ran immediately to his sideline to hug coach Greg Herenda after making the bucket.

https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/1108904143094112256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1108904143094112256&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2019%2F03%2Fncaa-tournament-gonzaga-fairleigh-dickinson-nadi-beciri

Stuff like that is simply awesome, and the Fairleigh Dickinson fans went nuts after seeing Beciri get to live out his dream of playing in an NCAA Tournament game. The fact he got a bucket only adds to it.

3. Tacko Fall becomes a social media star

Prior to the start of the tournament, not many people were familiar with 7’6 UCF center Tacko Fall. Fall’s height became the center of attention after a photo of him towering over CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson hit Twitter.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1109113917119389696

While most of the country was astounded by by Fall’s height, he took care of business on the court, piling up 13 points, 18 rebounds, and five blocks in a first round win over VCU to set up a showdown with Zion Williamson and Duke. Fall issued a challenge that Williamson wouldn’t dunk on him, and that made their showdown on Sunday in Columbia a must-see event.

Each guy had their moments in the sun, but Williamson and the Blue Devils came out on top in the end. The big winner in all of this may be Fall, however, who became a star simply because of how tall he is.

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