39 most iconic sports photos from March Madness and Getty Images

Getty Images photographers worked around the clock to deliver iconic sports photos from March Madness. Here are the best of the bunch.

Micah Peavy of the TCU Horned Frogs falls on Dalen Terry of the Arizona Wildcats as he attempts to block a shot during the first half in the second round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 20, 2022, in San Diego, California.

March Madness is an event that I really enjoy covering because of the images that can be produced. I am always certain that I will make images that have lots of action and pure raw emotion.   This particular image is one of my favorites from this year’s tournament in San Diego, California. It is a remote camera that I installed underneath the basketball in a cutout for cameras.  There is only room for one camera, and I triggered it from the other side of the court. I was very fortunate to make this image as I know the players are giving it their all. Because if they don’t the season is over.  

— Ronald Martinez

Armando Bacot of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Fousseyni Drame of the St. Peter’s Peacocks battle for a rebound during the Elite Eight round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Center on March 27, 2022, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

For March Madness, Getty Images always has multiple remote cameras set up throughout the venue to make sure we cover every inch of the court because it only takes one play to swing the momentum of the game. While this image triggered from a remote camera in the catwalk wasn’t a defining moment, it was a telling one. Arguably, one of the most dominant players this year, Armando Bacot of the North Carolina Tar Heels battled with Fousseyni Drame of the St. Peter’s Peacocks for a rebound during the Elite Eight round game. A Cinderella team versus a powerhouse team, this image shows that Drame wouldn’t give up when matched up with an elite player. From the arm pull to the body language and both players’ eyes, it’s a timeless image that will celebrate the underdogs and the never quit attitude.

— Patrick Smith

Caleb Love of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts in the second half of the game against the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet Sixteen round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2022, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The best part about March Madness and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is the emotion. Whether that’s jubilation or dejection, it’s all visually compelling. During the Sweet Sixteen round game, Caleb Love of the North Carolina Tar Heels hit a clutch shot against the UCLA Bruins. While that shot happened on the other end, his reaction happened on his defensive end of the court. All game Love displayed his energy and emotion. I stuck with him after he tallied a few points and was pleasantly surprised by his full-blown raw emotion. This is what sports is about, being able to celebrate after a clutch point.

— Patrick Smith

Victaria Saxton of the South Carolina Gamecocks hugs Aliyah Boston after defeating the UConn Huskies 64-49 during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship game at Target Center on April 3, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Last season, South Carolina lost to Stanford in the semifinals in the final minute of the game. That loss definitely stuck with Aliyah Boston and she and Victaria Saxton celebrate the moment. Boston had talked about how images of her crying in sadness from last season stuck with her. I hope this moment of her crying tears of joy is the one that sticks with her.

— Elsa

Saniya Rivers and Brea Beal of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate with teammates after defeating the UConn Huskies 64-49 during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship game at Target Center on April 3, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Gamecocks defeated UConn to win the national title. In this image, the team celebrated on the court. My photo position was next to the South Carolina bench, so I only had about three seconds before I was blocked by all of the team personnel running out on the court in celebration. I love the joy in their faces and how they are leaping into each other’s arms.

— Elsa

Paige Bueckers of the UConn Huskies reacts in the fourth quarter against the Stanford Cardinal during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Final Four semifinal game at Target Center on April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Sophomore Paige Bueckers of UConn is a rising star in women’s basketball. She has kept her poise under intense pressure. Here, she celebrates after making a 3-point shot in the second half against Stanford during their semifinal game. UConn likely made it as far as they did due in a large part to the play of Bueckers.  

— Elsa

Paige Bueckers of the UConn Huskies kisses Dorka Juhasz of the UConn Huskies on the forehead in the game against the NC State Wolfpack in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Elite 8 Round at Total Mortgage Arena on March 28, 2022, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Juhasz was injured during the first half. UConn defeated NC State 91-87 in 2 OT.

Dorka Juhasz of Connecticut broke her wrist in the Sweet Sixteen game against Indiana and was a big loss for the UConn Huskies. Sophomore Paige Bueckers and the rest of her team fought hard in a double-overtime win over the NC State Wolfpack to advance to the Final Four. As Dorka Juhasz was standing near the bench, Bueckers came over and kissed her on the forehead after the game. Juhasz’s playing season ended after that Sweet Sixteen game but I thought it was a lovely moment as it seemed to me Bueckers was celebrating the moment and consoling her teammate at the same time.

— Elsa

Aaliyah Edwards of the UConn Huskies looks to shoot the ball during the second half against the NC State Wolfpack in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Elite 8 Round at Total Mortgage Arena on March 28, 2022, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Aaliyah Edwards of the UConn Huskies played a great game against the NC State Wolfpack. Connecticut wasn’t favored to win. They had some injuries that made it seem unlikely that they would advance as far as they did this year. Edwards was aggressive, played great defense and really drove the team in the paint to get the double-overtime win. What I like about this image is that you can see not only the push but the speed at which she is heading for the basket. I love the way her hair is flying and really helps illustrate her movement.

— Elsa

Emily Engstler of the Louisville Cardinals falls to the floor in the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Final Four semifinal game at Target Center on April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Louisville had a great season. They have really talented players, but they couldn’t get past South Carolina in the semifinals of the women’s Final Four. What I like about this image is that it illustrates just how much of a battle it was in this game. Both teams were aggressive in the paint, but Louisville just could not match the strength of South Carolina. I put a remote camera in the bottom of the stanchion just under the basket. I think the angle and the location of the camera helped illustrate the hard-fought battles under the rim. This sums up the game in one picture to me.

— Elsa

Raina Perez and Jakia Brown-Turner of the NC State Wolfpack celebrate the win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Total Mortgage Arena at Harbor Yard on March 26, 2022, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

This was another game that came down to the wire. Notre Dame had a decent lead late in the game, but NC State came back to win it and advance to the Elite Eight — due largely to the play of these two women. Both took advantage of some key turnovers and made 3-pointers in the final minutes of the game. Here, they are celebrating the win. I shot this image a bit tighter than I would normally shoot post-game celebrations. I wanted to focus in on these two as they were phenomenal in that game.

— Elsa

The Stanford Cardinal hoist Anna Wilson after their victory over the Utah Utes in the championship game of the Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball tournament at Michelob ULTRA Arena on March 6, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cardinal defeated the Utes 73-48.

In championship games, every photographer sits at the baseline watching the final seconds tick down, then right at the buzzer there’s a mad dash onto the court to capture that initial few minutes of pandemonium when emotion is the most genuine. There’s a ton of other photographers/videographers around doing the same thing, so you’re also looking not to trip on a cable or get in someone else’s way. In this case, I got really lucky. I remember turning around in the chaos and boom…Anna Wilson got hoisted, and I was front and center. Usually, you’re a few people deep in a scene like that, holding a camera above your head just hoping to get something out of it. This was a rare occasion where I could actually compose through the viewfinder, which maybe lasted about 15 seconds.

— Joe Buglewicz

Kansas Jayhawks players celebrate after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 4, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

It’s very nerve-racking when it comes down to the final moment of the championship game at the end of several long weeks of March Madness. Sometimes the game is a blowout and pretty much a foregone conclusion who the winner will be. Other times come down to the buzzer and either team could win. In the case of this year’s final, it was a nail-biter. North Carolina was up 15 points at the half, but Kansas came back in dramatic fashion to win by three. When the moment arrives it’s hard to know where to go. Do you point the camera at the MVP? Do you even know who it might be?  Will they celebrate toward you or going away from you? Will the team run out and swarm the players on the floor or will the players run towards the bench?  Being ready for this moment is essential but anything could happen. Fortunately, the players celebrated my way and I wasn’t blocked by a referee, a TV camera or anything else and was able to capture this image.

— Jamie Squire 

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils walks off the court after losing to the North Carolina Tar Heels 81-77 in the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal at Caesars Superdome on April 2, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This picture was taken as Duke’s head coach Mike Krzyzewski walked off the floor after losing the final game of his career against UNC in the Final Four. As the game ended, I jumped up from my position to move around to where I knew he would exit the floor. As he walked toward me, I remember seeing the scoreboard flash “Tar Heels Win” and framed him in between. I was looking for an image that told the story of his historical career coming to an end. Luckily no one jumped in front of me or grabbed him as that often occurs. It’s kind of a fleeting solitary moment within the chaos that occurs at the end of one of these games.

— Jamie Squire 

Mark Williams of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half in the Sweet Sixteen round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Chase Center on March 24, 2022, in San Francisco, California.

March Madness has quickly become my new favorite event to cover. It has everything a photographer loves: fast action, emotion, celebrations, dejections and many options for remote cameras. I learned some new remote angles from my colleague Ezra Shaw. My favorite angle he taught me was the backboard glass remote, which looks directly at the rim of the hoop as players dunk or rebound. This works well because you feel right in the action and can see their faces at the peak moment like in this Mark Williams dunk.

— Steph Chambers

Mark Williams of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates after defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks 78-69 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Elite 8 Round at Chase Center on March 26, 2022, in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

I’ve learned to never fully rely on remote cameras because sometimes there can be interference or other issues that keep them from consistently working. Prioritizing the handheld camera you have in your hands leads to dependable coverage. This image shows Mark Williams reacting as the final seconds ticked off the clock in Duke’s Elite Eight win against Arkansas. It’s an added bonus to have dejected players walking past him, which fills the frame and adds another visual and narrative layer.

— Steph Chambers

Victaria Saxton of the South Carolina Gamecocks falls over Anya Poole as Alyssa Ustby of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Brea Beal of the South Carolina Gamecocks battle for a rebound during the second half in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 Round at Greensboro Coliseum Complex on March 25, 2022, in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Gamecocks won 69-61.

For this angle, I put a remote camera in the “mousehole” position, which is a cutout at the bottom of the basketball hoop. I really like this angle for a couple of reasons – it gives me a view of the court from the direct center, which I don’t ever get to have since our shooting positions are off to the side on the baseline. As someone who is really drawn to composition, having this centered spot for a remote camera opens up my photo possibilities. The second reason I like this angle is that it dramatizes the action by looking upward at the players, creating that “hero” angle – jumps appear higher, bodies look taller. In this moment, as Victaria Saxton fell over Anya Poole, you can see just how high she jumped, and just how far she’d fall back down to the floor, all because of this angle.

— Sarah Stier

Victaria Saxton of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts before cutting down the net after defeating the Creighton Bluejays, 80-50, in the second half in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Elite Eight Round at Greensboro Coliseum Complex on March 27, 2022, in Greensboro, North Carolina.

I had this shot in mind before the net-cutting began, but I soon realized it would be more of a challenge to capture what I was looking for. Some players aren’t tall enough to be able to see them through cutouts in the net. Some players are so focused on trying to cut their own piece that they don’t really react with looks other than concentration. What a relief it was that when Victaria Saxton came up to cut her piece of the net, she had the biggest smile on her face. Shooting tightly with a 70-200mm lens, I framed the net with her smiling face. No scissors, no ladder – just the net and her reaction.

— Sarah Stier

Kameron McGusty of the Miami Hurricanes celebrates after a 3-point basket against the Iowa State Cyclones during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at United Center on March 25, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois.

This photo happened in the first half of the game between Miami and Iowa State.  Kameron McGusty of the Hurricanes scored the first points of the game with a three pointer, and he was pumped. He got a few rebounds, a steal, and a few plays later he pulled up to shoot another 3-pointer. Because I could sense his energy and intensity, I kept my camera on him, and after he made the basket, McGusty threw up this sign with excitement.

— Quinn Harris

Devan Cambridge of the Auburn Tigers dunks against Sam Waardenburg of the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 20, 2022, in Greenville, South Carolina.

I installed a remote glass camera that was secured directly behind the basket and glass, hoping for something more dramatic and exciting than the regular glass cam frame of a dunk or rebound. I remember this play specifically as it was happening on the other end of the court from where I was sitting during the second round. As a missed basket bounced on the edge of the rim, Devan Cambridge of the Auburn Tigers came in fast and with authority as he flew high above his teammate Jabari Smith and Sam Waardenburg of the Miami Hurricanes for the rebound. Cambridge grabbed the ball quickly and slammed it back into the basket hard as he spun around holding onto the rim. As I fired the remote with a separate button attached to my lens along with firing my hand-held long glass with my other hand, I was thinking that frame might look nice from that glass cam. When I was able to look at the frames on the back of that remote camera, I was immediately excited to see that everything was in place – from his hand slamming down the dunk, the ball in the net, his face and the defender’s face, and how he was high above everyone else. There was so much in place to make it a dramatic and exciting frame and definitely one of my favorite glass camera photos.

— Kevin C. Cox

Justin Moore of the Villanova Wildcats reacts after an injury after defeating the Houston Cougars 50-44 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Elite 8 Round at AT&T Center on March 26, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas.

An ever occurring reality in sports is untimely injury. Justin Moore of the Villanova Wildcats was injured towards the end of the game, in what seemed like an innocuous play. However, as he was helped to his feet, he couldn’t, and didn’t try to put weight on the leg, trainers weren’t trying to ice, or stretch out the leg, and after being helped off the court he sat quietly by himself at the end of the bench requesting no trainer assistance. With laser focus and poise, Justin sat on the bench as the final minutes of the clock ran down. With later confirmation that he did indeed tear his Achilles, he was processing both the injury and the exit of his Final Four run. He is one of the team’s captains and he looked as such while he remained out with his teammates. As celebration began, his family came down from the stands, and for just a moment he broke down. As his teammates surrounded him, he tried to shield his emotion.

— Carmen Mandato

Cameron Crazies and fans of the Duke Blue Devils cheer prior to the game against North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 5, 2022, in Durham, North Carolina.

The Cameron Crazies at Duke usually live up to their name. But, from a photographic standpoint, you can take hundreds of pictures, and many will look the same. So, for this photo, I positioned myself between the overhead scoreboard and the Crazies. A highlight reel featuring Coach K’s five National Championships was rolling on the scoreboard monitor. As each championship was displayed, the Crazies would count along while holding up the number with their fingers. Most of the overhead lights were off at this time, so once the monitors were bright enough, I snapped this photo. At this particular moment, four represents Coach K’s fourth championship (2010).

— Lance King

Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, and Elysa Wesolek of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate with teammates after defeating the UConn Huskies 64-49 during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship game at Target Center on April 3, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This photo is of the Gamecocks celebrating after the final buzzer of the National Championship game. What I really liked about this photo is that it’s not always likely that you’ll get the best player in the tournament and the NCAA Player of the Year so nicely portrayed in a celebration picture. Aliyah Boston of South Carolina is in the middle of the picture. South Carolina was heads and shoulders above the rest of women’s basketball, so it was very nice to see them win.

— Andy Lyons

Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts during the national championship trophy presentation after defeating the UConn Huskies 64-49 during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship game at Target Center on April 3, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

At this moment, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley welcomed the confetti falling on her and her victorious team after winning the women’s title. I’ve followed her since she was a star player at Virginia and have always been a fan of her style of coaching. As a former college athlete, I would have enjoyed her coaching me. It just sets a nice ending piece to their journey with her. Staley is a no-nonsense yet loving coach. In this picture, it just feels to me she’s letting all her guard down and letting it all sink in.

— Andy Lyons

Sydney Curry of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball against the Virginia Cavaliers at KFC YUM! Center on March 5, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky.

This photo is from a camera placed in the catwalk of the arena.  I love this type of angle because it’s very 3D. It brings you into the play and lets you see the action and almost touch it. I photograph a lot of basketball and try not to be lazy. I look for anything I can not to repeat myself which I still do anyway. I love great action and emotion that lets me feel like I was playing in the game as well.

— Andy Lyons

Michael Wynn of the Akron Zips stands on the court against the UCLA Bruins prior to their first round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 17, 2022, in Portland, Oregon.

This picture was taken at one of the games on the first day of the tournament. The first day is usually a blur because there are four games in one day, so it is hard to find anything different. During the player introductions of the Akron vs. UCLA, I noticed one player had a ton of great tattoos. The light was moody because of the introductions, and I was able to get one frame of Akron’s Michael Wynn’s eye tattoo on his chest just peeking out over his uniform before the house lights came back up.

— Ezra Shaw

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates after cutting down the net after defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks 78-69 during the second half in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Elite 8 Round at Chase Center on March 26, 2022, in San Francisco, California.

This was one of my favorite pictures of the tournament. I have never been a big Duke fan, but I have always respected Coach K and everything that he has done for basketball. He was a big story going into the tournament because he had already announced his retirement after the end of the year. After they won the West regional, you could tell how truly happy he was when he was cutting down the net. Unfortunately, for him and the Duke team, they lost their next game, so this was the last time Coach Krzyzewski would cut down a net.

— Ezra Shaw

Terrence Shannon Jr. of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates a dunk against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Chase Center on March 24, 2022, in San Francisco, California.

This picture was taken with a remote camera set right in front of me early in Texas Tech’s game against Duke in the Sweet Sixteen. I was shooting with a telephoto lens in my hands but had the remote camera set up wide in front of me to give a different view of the same play. For this dunk by Terrence Shannon, the wide-angle picture works well because you see how high he is off the ground, plus you also see his teammate celebrating in the background.

— Ezra Shaw

Jaylen Murray and Latrell Reid of the St. Peter’s Peacocks celebrate after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 67-64 in the Sweet Sixteen round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2022, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

One of my favorite parts of March Madness is seeing the “Cinderella” team that makes a deep run in the tournament. Knowing that St. Peters would come to our regional site in Philadelphia was a treat having seen their previous “David vs Goliath” upsets. This picture came about after defeating Purdue, a traditional tournament powerhouse. Our access was pretty limited to capture these big moments up close with wide-angle lenses unless they happen directly in front of us, so I made this from my floor photo position with a 200-400mm lens. These pictures happen quickly so you have to pay extra attention because there are so many other TV, social media, and school media folks with greater access to the floor running to capture these frames up close. This worked out well and we were lucky to get a historic game with an enjoyable storyline.

— Tim Nwachukwu

Caleb Love of the North Carolina Tar Heels falls on top of Tyger Campbell of the UCLA Bruins as Armando Bacot of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Myles Johnson of the UCLA Bruins look on in the first half of the game in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2022, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Commentary: Part of what makes sports photography fun for me is capturing the peak of not just action, but also the expressions showing how the competition affects players in the moment. Here, Caleb Love of North Carolina falls on top of Tyger Campbell of UCLA on the right side of the frame. I couldn’t imagine the feeling of a 6-foot-4-inch athlete toppling over me at full force. It’s the heat of competition in the then biggest game of the season. I’m always amazed at how athletes can take so many hits, falls, etc. and continue playing at their highest possible level.

— Tim Nwachukwu

David McCormack of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrates a basket against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half in the Elite Eight round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at United Center on March 27, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois.

Miami was a No. 10 seed team that had reached the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament and they were matched up against No. 1 seed, and eventual NCAA Champion, Kansas. Miami started fast and had a decent lead at the half, however, No. 1 Kansas came back strong in the second half, eventually pulling away for the victory, and the play of David McCormack was a key part of that turnaround. This particular photo came after a big dunk against Miami and McCormack reacted to the moment.  So much of the NCAA Tournament is built on the emotional highs and lows of the athletes that it was nice to catch this moment.

— Stacy Revere

Bennedict Mathurin of the Arizona Wildcats reacts after being fouled while shooting during overtime against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 20, 2022, in San Diego, California.

Shooting NCAA Basketball Tournament games, emotion always runs high and not just at the end. There is so much at stake for these college athletes, that every win brings out high emotion unlike a regular season game. The game between Arizona and TCU in San Diego happened to be a very close game with each team trading decisive scores up until the last second. In this photo, the lead had changed back and forth and Bennedict Mathurin reacted to a foul as Arizona began to pull away in the final seconds.

— Sean M. Haffey

Eddie Lampkin of the TCU Horned Frogs reacts after being defeated by the Arizona Wildcats 85-80 during overtime in the second round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 20, 2022, in San Diego, California.

Eddie Lampkin reacting to losing Arizona defeating TCU was my favorite picture of the NCAA Tournament. The time had clearly run out, the team’s season came to an abrupt end, and most likely for many it was the end of their college careers. With all the highs come some very deep lows, I felt this photo really illustrated how deeply these young athletes care about the game and the passion they take on and off the court.

— Sean M. Haffey

Caleb Love of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after being defeated by the Kansas Jayhawks 72-69 during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 4, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Commentary: This photo is of Caleb Love reacting to the loss against Kansas immediately following the end of the Championship game. Love slumped over as the final buzzer on the clock rang out and a team staff member comforted him, showing the gravity of the moment.

— Tom Pennington

Armando Bacot of the North Carolina Tar Heels knocks the ball from Jalen Wilson of the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half of the game during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 4, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This moment was captured as Armando Bacot shut down Jalen Wilson as he drove to the basket in the first half of the Championship game. The physical nature of the game was on full display here, as you see the players’ body language, intense looks and dripping sweat.

— Tom Pennington

Caleb Love of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots the ball as Ochai Agbaji of the Kansas Jayhawks defends in the first half of the game during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 4, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This image was made using a remote camera that I installed in the catwalk of the Superdome days before the Championship game. For this remote, I used a 500mm super-telephoto lens mounted 260’ above the rim of the basket. I used an electronic remote trigger to fire the camera while also shooting the game with a handheld camera from my baseline photo position. I like the clean background here as the viewer’s eye goes straight to the action and physicality.

— Tom Pennington

Brady Manek of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts in the first half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 4, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

I captured this image of Brady Manek reacting after scoring against Kansas in the first half of the Championship game. Manek’s intensity and emotion while on the court shine through and you can see how fired up he was in the moment.

— Tom Pennington

The Kansas Jayhawks celebrate with the trophy after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-69 during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 4, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

I wanted to get a detailed photo of the Championship trophy so while the Kansas Jayhawks were onstage celebrating their win over North Carolina, I captured their winning moment of the players holding it up. The confetti also adds to the feel of the event. This type of “trophy shot” has a timeless look to it that is used with all types of March Madness and Final Four stories and websites.

— Tom Pennington

Theo John of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball in the first half of the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal at Caesars Superdome on April 2, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This photo of Theo John was captured using a remote camera that I installed along the side of the court. This unique perspective is only obtained with a remote camera as photographers are not allowed to work in that area of the court during the game. I fired the remote camera using an electronic trigger while shooting the game action with a handheld camera from my photo position on the baseline of the court. Using this technique allows us to capture the game action from 12 different angles.

— Tom Pennington

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils rides a golf cart with his wife Mickie Krzyzewski after being defeated by the North Carolina Tar Heels 81-77 during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal at Caesars Superdome on April 2, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This photo of Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski was made following his final press conference after Duke lost to North Carolina. During the press conference, Coach K insisted on keeping the questions and answers about his team and athletes rather than his retirement. Following the press conference Coach K boarded a cart and returned to his team in their locker room.

— Tom Pennington