15 classic March Madness games you need to watch on YouTube

12. UConn vs. George Mason – 2006 Elite Eight

It wouldn’t be a true March Madness re-watch party without an epic upset, so take a trip back to 2006 for one of the ultimate David-slays-Goliath moments. This is the game where little George Mason took down mighty UConn to complete a stunning run to the Final Four.

Everyone remembers the story of the Patriots shocking the world and reaching the Final Four, but few recall how close they came to missing the tournament altogether. The selection committee made a controversial call by giving George Mason an at-large bid over Hofstra, their fellow CAA rivals who had defeated them twice during the regular season.

The Patriots got to the Elite Eight by toppling Michigan State, North Carolina and Wichita State to earn a date with UConn. That edition of the Huskies was heavily favored to win the national championship with future NBA talent on the roster like Rudy Gay, Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong.

The Huskies jumped all over George Mason early, building a nine-point lead at the half, but the Patriots weren’t intimidated. George Mason erased that deficit and had the lead in the final seconds of regulation before Denham Brown’s bucket sent the contest to overtime.

The extra session was also nerve-wracking for Patriots’ supporters after George Mason built a five-point lead only to see UConn’s Marcus Williams made a three with 11 seconds left to cut the lead to just two. Brown had a crack at a winning three, but it was offline to send the Patriots on to the Final Four for the first time in school history.