Mid-Major Flavor to Final Four

NCAA Tournament's Top Moments

By Comcast.net Sports

Again, Butler isn't going down easy in the NCAA Tournament. A year removed from a magical run to the tournament finals, the Bulldogs are back in the Final Four after an overtime win over Florida. And a year after missing the NCAA Tournament completely, Connecticut is in the Final Four.

Amazingly, though, it's not just Butler crashing the big school Final Four party: Virginia Commonwealth, a team that needed to win a game just to get into the Round of 64, upset Kansas to win its regional. Meanwhile, freshman-heavy Kentucky out-muscled North Carolina to make it to the Final Four.

Follow along as our sports editors break down the top moments from the Elite 8 and this entire NCAA Tournament.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Mid-Major Flavor... By Comcast.net Sports
Again, Butler isn't going down easy in the NCAA Tournament. A year removed from a magical run to the tournament finals, the Bulldogs are back in the Final Four after an overtime win over Florida. And a year after missing the NCAA Tournament completely, Connecticut is in the Final Four.
Amazingly, though, it's not just Butler crashing the big school Final Four party: Virginia Commonwealth, a team that needed to win a game just to get into the Round of 64, upset Kansas to win its regional. Meanwhile, freshman-heavy Kentucky out-muscled North Carolina to make it to the Final Four.
Follow along as our sports editors break down the top moments from the Elite 8 and this entire NCAA Tournament.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
VCU Stuns Kansas... Virginia Commonwealth jumped out to a 17-point lead in the first half and was never really threatened in the second half in making it to the school's first Final Four. The Rams are the third 11 seed to make it to the Final Four.
Kentucky Beats N... For the first time in 13 years, Kentucky is back in the Final Four. John Calipari's freshman-laden squad led by 11 in the second half and held off a game charge by the Tar Heels before pulling away in the final minute.
Butler Beats Flo... A year after coming one half-court heave from winning the National Championship, Butler is back in the Final Four. Shelvin Mack scored 27 points for the Bulldogs; his three-pointer with 1:21 left in OT gave Butler the lead for good. Coach Brad Stevens' never-say-die team was down by as many as 11 in the second half but sent the game to overtime on a Matt Howard free throw with 31 seconds left in regulation. (AP Photo)
UConn Holds on t... Kemba Walker scored 20 points and Connecticut won its ninth game in 19 days to make the Final Four. Jeremy Lamb scored 19 points for the Huskies, who missed the NCAA Tournament last season. Arizona's Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horne both missed 3-pointers in the final seconds.
Knight's Shot Be... Brandon Knight's NCAA Tournament magic continues. In a game that was close throughout, the freshman hit a jumper with just five seconds left to give Kentucky the win over Ohio State, the top overall seed in the tournament. Knight hit the game-winner against Princeton in the first round and scored 30 points in the Wildcats' second win. Jared Sullinger had 21 points and 16 rebounds for Ohio State, but the Buckeyes lost in the Sweet 16 for the second straight year. (AP Photo)
VCU's Cinderella... Bradford Burgess hit a layup off an inbounds pass with 7.1 seconds left to help Virginia Commonwealth beat Florida State by a point, 72-71, in a Southwest Region semifinal. VCU, who blew a nine-point lead in regulation, is in the Elite 8 for the first time in school history. Jamie Skeen blocked a shot at the buzzer to seal the Rams' win over Florida State. (AP Photo)
Big First Half R... No. 2 seed North Carolina ended the first half on a 30-5 run and cruised to an 81-63 romp over 11th-seeded Marquette in an East Regional semifinal Friday night. Tyler Zeller had 27 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels. (AP Photo)
After Pregame Al... The Southwest's No. 1 seed, Kansas, got 18 points from Brady Morningstar and routed 12th-seeded Richmond in San Antonio Friday night, 77-57. Before the game, players on the Jayhawks and Spiders had to be separated by security after a shouting and shoving match in the tunnel. The Jayhawks led 31-9 at one point in the first half and were never threatened. (AP Photo)
Duke Gets Dunked Defending champion and West Regional No. 1 seed Duke couldn't handle Arizona in the second half of its Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday night. The Blue Devils were outscored by 22 in the second half and their reign ended with a 93-77 shocker to the No. 5 seed in Anaheim. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Coach K Jinx... Who is to blame for the Duke collapse? Some suggest it was Mike Krzyzewski's fault. Coach K went out of character and granted a rare interview request at halftime. After the interview, the Blue Devils were outscored, 55-33. It's doubtful Coach K will ever do another halftime interview. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Butler The Power... Last year, Butler made the final game. This year, it wasn't supposed to do much damage. Yet, the eighth-seeded Bulldogs are among the final eight teams left in the NCAA Tournament after holding on for a 61-54 upset victory over fourth-seeded Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Badgers Don't Pl... Maybe Wisconsin needs to be one of the last teams in the NCAA Tournament field. The fourth-seeded Badgers lost to a lower seeded team for the fourth time in five years when they couldn't handle Butler on Thursday night. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Kemba Can! Behind the electrifying Kemba Walker, Connecticut advanced to the Elite Eight. Walker scored 36 points, 22 in the second half, as No. 3 UConn continued its torrid run that began in the Big East Tournament with a victory over No. 2 San Diego State. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
No Home Cooking San Diego State's memorable season came to a close in front of a pro-Aztec crowd in Anaheim, but it wasn't a total wash. SDSU finished its best-ever campaign at 34-3. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Gators Work Over... It wasn't easy, but Florida took down Jimmer Fredette and BYU in overtime, 83-74. They were the only lower seed to advance on Thursday night. As expected, the Gators were too big and strong for the Cougars, especially Alex Tyus, who had 19 points and 17 rebounds in the victory. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Jimmer-Mania Cra... Battered and bruised and with a bandage on his chin, Jimmer Fredette's college career came to a close with a sub-par effort. Even though Jimmer scored 32 points in the loss to Florida, he was just 11-for-29 shooting, including 3-of-15 from 3-point range. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Round of 32:... Surprise, surprise. The NCAA Tournament was even crazier than expected. By the end of the first weekend, four 10 seeds or higher made the Sweet 16. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)
Ten and Up Yep, it's the NCAA Tournament, where the seeds are as meaningless as Charles Barkley's bracket. Eleventh-seeded Marquette is one of the four double-digit seeds remaining (along with VCU, Florida State and Richmond) after eliminating Syracuse thanks to Darius Johnson-Odom's 3-pointer with under a minute left to play. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Florida State Do... Second-seeded Notre Dame didn't just lose. They were crushed by No. 10 Florida State. In the process, the Big East was reduced from its original 11 teams to two. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)
Remember the VCU... It's fair to say at this point that 11th-seeded VCU deserved a spot in this NCAA Tournament. One of the last teams to make the field -- the Rams won a First Four game -- they are now one of 16 remaining after a 94-76 demolition of third-seeded Purdue. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)
These No. 1s Not... All the upsets did not include the two top teams in the tournament -- Kansas and Ohio State. Kansas methodically beat Illinois on Sunday, 73-59. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Ohio State Light... David Lighty was beyond hot in Ohio State's 98-86 rout of George Mason. The senior went 7-for-7 from long distance and had 25 points as the tournament's top seed advanced easily. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
All-American in ... Arizona star Derrick Williams didn't have his best game of the season. In fact, he struggled most of the afternoon on Sunday until he converted a three-point play with just under 10 seconds remaining to give No. 5 Arizona a thrilling 70-69 victory over No. 4 Texas to reach the Sweet 16. The game also featured a very controversial final minute. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Duke Escapes; Co... Duke almost joined the upset crew, but Mike Krzyzewski got his 900th win as the Blue Devils held off a late charge by Michigan to advance to the Sweet 16. Nolan Smith had 24 points in the 73-71 win. The Wolverines trailed by 15 with just over 10 minutes to play, but had a chance to tie it in the final seconds. A runner in the lane by Darius Morris bounced off the back iron. (AP Photo)
Tar Heels Rally North Carolina trailed most of the game against Washington, but rallied to take a late lead. Tyler Zeller scored 23 points and Harrison Barnes had 22 for the Tar Heels in the win. This game, like many in the NCAA Tournament, also had a controversial ending: Officials didn't put more time on the clock that would have given Washington a better chance at a game-tying three in the final seconds. (AP Photo)
The Round of 32:... The NCAA Tournament was down to the Round of 32 heading into Saturday. Early on in the third round, the top seeds were coming through down the stretch and holding on in close games. But the madness continued with a pair of wild finishes in the evening: the foul-plagued final seconds of Butler-Pitt and the double-overtime thriller between Temple and San Diego State. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Butler Stuns Pit... The final seven seconds of Pitt and Butler will go down in NCAA Tournament lore. After Butler grabbed a one-point lead on a layup with just over two seconds left, Shelvin Mack inexplicably fouled Gilbert Brown near midcourt. Brown made the first, then missed the second -- and Nasir Robinson fouled Butler's Matt Howard on the rebound. Howard hit a free throw to give the eighth-seeded Bulldogs the win over the No. 1 seed Panthers. (AP Photo)
SDSU Wins in 2OT... Second-seeded San Diego State led for most of the second half, but Temple rallied and forced overtime. The teams remained tied after a first five minutes, but the Aztecs took control in the second OT and won the game, 71-64. (AP Photo)
Jimmer Does It A... Jimmer Fredette scored 34 points to lead BYU to a 89-67 rout of Gonzaga in the third round of the Southeast Regional. It made it the deepest trip in the NCAA Tournament for the Cougars since 1981. (AP Photo)
Brandon Knight S... Brandon Knight didn't score in Kentucky's first game until he hit a buzzer beater to beat Princeton. He picked up where he left off in the Wildcats' second game, scoring 30 points to lead Kentucky past West Virginia, 71-63, and into the Sweet 16. (AP Photo)
Erving Walker Bi... Erving Walker scored 10 of Florida's last 12 points and the second-seeded Gators held off UCLA, 73-65, to advance to the Sweet 16. (AP Photo)
No. 12 Richmond ... Richmond became the lowest seed to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament with a convincing 65-48 victory over No. 13 seed Morehead State. It's the Spiders' first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1988. (AP Photo)
Late Free Throws... Jacob Pullen's 38 points weren't enough for Kansas State as Jordan Taylor hit some late free throws and blocked Pullen's three attempt in the final seconds as the Badgers moved on to the Sweet 16 with a 70-65 win. (AP Photo)
Kemba Leads UCon... Connecticut just will not lose. The Big East Tournament champions got 33 points from Kemba Walker and bounced Cincinnati from the NCAA Tournament, 69-58. Walker scored 16 points in the final 10 minutes while battling a sore wrist. (AP Photo)
Day 2 of NCAA Ac... It might not have been as exciting as the first day of the tournament, but the second day also featured top performances by some championship-caliber teams and a pair of double-digit seeds moving on to the next round. (AP Photo)
First Four to Ro... Virginia Commonwealth hit 12 3-pointers and led by as many as 21 in a 74-56 rout of Georgetown. The Rams defeated Southern California, 59-46, in the first round. (AP Photo)
Irving Returns; ... Kyrie Irving played for the first time in three months, scoring 14 points for the Duke Blue Devils in their 87-45 win over Hampton. The win was Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's 899th career victory. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
Block Seals Ariz... Arizona's Derrick Williams blocked a game-tying layup attempt with just a few seconds left to seal the fifth-seeded Wildcats' win over Memphis. Williams scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win. (AP Photo)
George Mason Ral... George Mason rallied from 10 down against Villanova to win its first NCAA Tournament game since 2006, the year the Patriots went to the Final Four. Villanova, the nine seed, lost its last six games to end the season. (AP Photo)
No. 11 Marquette... Eleventh-seeded Marquette jumped out in front of No. 6 Xavier and never looked back, withstanding a few late runs to win 66-55 over the Musketeers. Tu Holloway, the Atlantic 10 player of the year, was held to just five points. (AP Photo)
Kansas Rolls in ... Boston University kept it close with Kansas in the first half, but Marcus and Markieff Morris combined for 31 points as the Jayhawks pulled away in the second. (AP Photo)
Michigan's Secon... Michigan was only up four points at halftime, but the Wolverines outscored Tennessee 42-16 in the second half to turn a close game into an easy win. Michigan became the first team to win an NCAA Tournament game without hitting a free throw. (AP Photo)
The Real Day 1 o... The first full day of NCAA Tournament action (now the second round) started with a barrage of buzzer-beaters sprinkled with some shocking upsets. And while the night session featured less late-game dramatics, it still had some bracket-busting results to complete a successful day of tournament action. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
First Big Upset This is what the Tournament is all about. Not only did No. 4 Louisville lose, it went down as Morehead State's Demonte Harper nailed a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Star center Kenneth Faried then blocked a shot as time expired. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Last Big Upset It's almost hard to comprehend at this point, but Gonzaga winning its opening game this year was an upset, the final one on the tournament's first full day of action. The 11th-seeded 'Zags had little troubled routing St. John's, 86-71, in one of the late games. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
You Got Jimmer They came to see Jimmer Fredette, and the BYU star didn't disappoint. Jimmer dropped 32 (so what if it was on 25 shots) and the Cougars rolled Wofford in their opener. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Choke But No Cig... UCLA almost did the unthinkable. The Bruins tried their best to choke away a 23-point second half lead by missing free throw after free throw. Nonetheless, they held on to beat No. 11 Michigan State, 78-76. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Frantastic Finis... Temple's Juan Fernandez nailed an off-balance leaner with 0.4 seconds remaining to help coach Fran Dunphy end an 11-game NCAA Tournament losing streak with a dramatic 66-64 victory over Penn State. (AP Photo/Matt York)
The Almost Upset Princeton, the Ivy League representative, came close to taking down big, bad Kentucky. Too bad the Wildcats' Brandon Knight made his only basket of the game with two seconds remaining to ruin the upset bid and give his team a 59-57 victory. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Butler Did It Ag... One year after reaching the tournament final, eighth-seeded Butler almost was one and done, except that Matt Howard had a put-back at the buzzer to beat Old Dominion. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Be Scared of Spi... No. 12 Richmond was the second-highest seed to advance on the first full day of action. (Morehouse State was a 13 seed.) The Spiders, who are the Atlantic 10 Tournament champs, took out No. 5 Vanderbilt, 69-66. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
March Madness Sn... Check out the teams that didn't make the tournament here.