15 classic March Madness games you need to watch on YouTube

5. NC State vs. Houston – 1983 Championship Game

There have been plenty of championship games in this countdown and for good reason. Title games are full of drama and produce memorable moments and there are times at the end when you just want to find someone to hug.

That was fitting for Jim Valvano in 1983 when the NC State Wolfpack completed one of the most epic upsets in NCAA Tournament history. The Wolfpack, who barely got in the field, entered the title game as 7.5 point underdogs to Houston.

That Cougars’ team, better known as Phi Slama Jama, dominated the sport behind its dynamic 1-2 punch of Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. The two future Hall-of-Famers led a high-flying circus attack on offense, but Valvano managed to outfox the Cougars in the championship game.

The contest was played at The Pit in New Mexico and the altitude proved to be an issue for Houston players, with Olajuwon, in particular, needing multiple breaks for oxygen. The Wolfpack kept things annoyingly close, leading to a tie game at 52 in the final seconds.

NC State had the final shot, with Dereck Whittenburg’s heave coming up just short, but Lorenzo Charles put it back with a dunk as time expired to claim the Wolfpack’s second national championship. The play was so stunning that poor Valvano was left running on the floor looking for someone to hug and NC State’s run inspired a 30 for 30 film simply titled Survive and Advance.