Fansided

March Madness: 10 shining moments in Final Four history

By Mike Phillips

Michigan State guard Earvin Johnson and Indiana State forward Larry Bird answer questions for reporters during a press conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Tomorrow, the two players will face off when their teams meet in the NCAA Final Four Championship, a game many feel will be a classic matchup of two collegiate superstars.
Michigan State guard Earvin Johnson and Indiana State forward Larry Bird answer questions for reporters during a press conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Tomorrow, the two players will face off when their teams meet in the NCAA Final Four Championship, a game many feel will be a classic matchup of two collegiate superstars. /
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University of North Carolina guard Michael Jordan wags his tongue as he dribbles the basketball past a North Carolina State defender. January 13, 1982.
University of North Carolina guard Michael Jordan wags his tongue as he dribbles the basketball past a North Carolina State defender. January 13, 1982. /

9. Michael Jordan’s first buzzer-beater

While everyone knows that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time now, back in 1982 he was just a freshman guard playing for Dean Smith and North Carolina. The Tar Heels played Jordan a lot as a freshman but he wasn’t exactly a massive scorer, averaging just 13.5 points per game during the season.

Jordan got his first taste of the big stage during the NCAA Tournament when North Carolina advanced all the way to the championship game against Georgetown. The Hoyas, led by fiery coach John Thompson, featured another future Hall of Famer in center Patrick Ewing.

This game was close throughout, with Georgetown entering the locker room clinging to a 32-31 lead. The teams continued to go blow-for-blow in the second half, trading baskets and watching the lead change hands many times over the course of the final 20 minutes.

The Tar Heels built a 61-58 lead after Jordan converted a layup with under four minutes to go, but the Hoyas responded with four unanswered to take the lead back. With the game coming down to crunch time, North Carolina point guard Jimmy Black passed to Jordan, who calmly hit a jumper with 15 seconds left to give the Tar Heels a 63-62 lead.

That would prove to be the game-winning basket for North Carolina, which won the championship by that score. Jordan, who scored 16 points in the game, used his experience here as a springboard for two more excellent seasons in Chapel Hill before becoming one of the winningest players the NBA has ever seen.