NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 67 NCAA Tournament games for 2020-21 season

5. #7 Florida 75, #10 Virginia Tech 70 OT (Round of 64)

College basketball could not have asked for a better game to kick off the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament than an overtime showdown between Florida and Virginia Tech, two teams that endured unusual struggles throughout the regular season.  This game had it all: an outrageously hot shooter, streaky shooting, loads of fouls, ties and lead changes, and one of the tournament’s best shots.

The lone double-digit lead in the game was held by Virginia Tech for 41 seconds, and the Hokies dominated much of the first half and the first 15 minutes of the second stanza – but the tables turned once Florida’s Colin Castleton took over, leading a surge where he scored 10 of the Gators’ 13 points to reclaim the lead with 5:14 remaining – and they would never surrender their edge after that.  But Florida still had to deal with the hot hand of Nahiem Alleyne, who finished with a game-high 28 points – with none more important than the three-bomb at the end of regulation that forced the first game of the Round of 64 to go to overtime.

It was, for the most part, smooth sailing for the Gators after that, largely thanks to Castleton scoring five of his 19 points in overtime, padding out his stat-line that also featured 14 rebounds and three blocks.  The Hokies somehow managed to remain in this game, despite shooting 42.1% from the floor – a stark difference from Florida’s blistering 56.5% clip.

4. #3 Arkansas 72, #15 Oral Roberts 70 (Sweet Sixteen)

A shot never felt more destined to go in than the final attempt in this game.  With a shot at history on the horizon, the Golden Eagles set the tone early and dominated this game, building a nine-point lead late in the first half and leading for nearly 16 minutes of the first half – largely thanks to the backcourt of Max Abmas and Carlos Jurgens, who combined for 23 of ORU’s 35 points.

That flourishment continued into the second stanza, where Oral Roberts’ lead grew to as large as 12 – and lasted until the 6:58 mark when a Davonte Davis putback finally knotted the game and put Arkansas back in contention.  The two teams subsequently traded leads twice, with neither team holding onto a lead larger than four – meaning this game came down to the wire, after a Francis Lacis free-throw knotted the game at 70-all with 31 seconds left.

An outrageously difficult shot by Davis catapulted the Razorbacks in front with just three seconds left on the clock, setting up the late-game theatrics that Oral Roberts had been all too familiar with after their thrilling wins over Ohio State and Florida – but this time, fate was not on the Golden Eagles’ side, as Abmas’ game-winning shot was slightly off to the left, denying ORU’s bid to become the first-ever 15-seed to reach the Elite Eight.

Both teams featured four double-digit scorers, with Abmas leading all scorers behind 25 points – but it was the Razorbacks’ Jalen Tate who had the last laugh, leading his team with 22 points and six assists.

3. #11 UCLA 51, #1 Michigan 49 (Elite Eight)

There may not have been a greater offensive struggle in this tournament than UCLA/Michigan – and it weirdly produced one of the most nailbiting tilts of the month.  There are a number of facts to back the former point: this was the lowest sum point total of any game in the tournament, it took UCLA over 12 minutes to reach double-digits, the two teams combined to shoot 39.0% from the floor and 25.0% from beyond the perimeter, Michigan was just 6-11 from the free-throw line, and there were just two fast-break points all game.

And yet, there was not a better Elite Eight game in the tournament.  Neither team held a double-digit lead, and neither team’s lead was greater than three points for the last eight minutes of the game.  To add onto that, this was a one-point game at the four-minute mark – and it took three minutes for a team to finally score.

After Franz Wagner drained two free-throws to cut UCLA’s lead to one, a Johnny Juzang freebie – which capped off a stellar 28-point showing – gave the Bruins a little bit of breathing room – and it worked out, as the Cinderellas narrowly avoided two potential game-winning buckets from Michigan in the waning seconds.

2. #15 Oral Roberts 75, #2 Ohio State 72 OT (Round of 64)

This meeting had upset written all over it – and it delivered.  The Buckeyes were coming off their close loss to Illinois in the Big Ten Championship game less than a week prior, while Oral Roberts ran through the Summit League Tournament as the four-seed.  Ohio State was short a starter in Kyle Young, while the Golden Eagles sported a tandem of legitimate pros in Kevin Obanor and Max Abmas.

Safe to say, this game was absurdly fun.  After Oral Roberts went up 7-0 and the team traded baskets before Ohio State took the lead, the Buckeyes maintained an advantage for 11 minutes – before the Golden Eagles claimed the lead for the final five minutes of the half.  Outside of the Eagles’ initial seven-point lead, neither team held an advantage greater than six points.  That meant this game came down to the wire, producing one of the most exciting games of the entire tournament.

It looked like Ohio State would claim this one, holding onto a four-point lead with a little over a minute left – but a quick 4-0 spurt, capped off by two Obanor free-throws with 14 seconds left, sent the tilt to overtime.  It was all smooth sailing for the Golden Eagles from there, as five straight points from Obanor gave ORU a lead that they would never relinquish in the extra period, ultimately escaping two game-tying attempts by OSU.

Thus began the domination of Obanor and Abmas, after the duo played all 45 minutes and combined for 59 points on 42.2% shooting – to go with 16 rebounds, three assists, and three steals – to claim the ninth-ever win for a 15-seed over a 2-seed.