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

10. #2 Houston 63, #10 Rutgers 60 (Round of 32)

It is easy to forget that Houston’s Final Four run almost did not even happen – and it is even more heartbreaking to remember that Rutgers, whose long-awaited trip to the postseason was so historic and celebrated, was nearly the culprit – but fell just short.  This game was a bit ugly, with neither team shooting better than 44.0% from the floor – all the while seeing both squads combine for 25 turnovers – but it also delivered one of the best finishes of the tournament.

After usurping a Houston lead that lasted the first 15 and a half minutes of the game, the Scarlet Knights appeared to be the superior team, coasting to two separate 10-point leads in the second half – and a nine-point edge with under five minutes remaining.  Their offense went stagnant, however – something that ailed Rutgers in the latter months of the season – and allowed the Cougars to embark on a 14-2 run to close out the game.

No bucket was more crucial to Houston’s late-game run – and was more backbreaking for Rutgers’ historic season – than Tramon Mark’s and-1 with 24 seconds remaining in the game, which gave the Cougars the lead.

A subsequent turnover and missed last-chance shot sealed Rutgers’ fate, despite double-digit performances from Geo Baker (14) and Montez Mathis (10) – both of whom were unable to overcome Houston’s pair of offensive weapons in Quentin Grimes and DeJon Jarreau, with both finishing with 22 and 17 points, respectively.

9. #5 Creighton 63, #12 UC Santa Barbara 62 (Round of 64)

Some of the saddest words that could ever be said are “what could have been” – and the Gauchos, regrettably, know that feeling all too well.  One of the best mid-majors in all of college basketball, UC Santa Barbara was ready to pull off the upset over the Bluejays, dominating much of the opening half and racing out to a pair of eight-point leads – before Creighton rallied at the end of the half, claiming a four-point advantage behind back-to-back baskets from Marcus Zegarowski.

With the script flipped, so was the second half – where the Bluejays held the advantage for a vast majority of the time.  But after it appeared as if Creighton would run away with an easy win after five-straight points gave the Bluejays a 10-point edge, the Gauchos refused to go away, going on a 13-2 run to claim a lead behind a Jaquori McLaughlin jumper.  This set in motion a barrage of back-and-forth buckets, where – for the final nine minutes – the two teams exchanged leads five different times.

But no shot was more critical than what would have created the sixth lead change, in the form of a point-blank, missed layup from Amadou Sow in the closing seconds of the game that would have given UC Santa Barbara the lead – and, quite possibly, the win.

Despite the loss, McLaughlin put together one of the more impressive all-around performances of the opening round, logging 13 points, seven assists, and six boards – but it was not enough to overcome the trio of Zegarowski, Christian Bishop, and Denzel Mahoney, with all three combining for 45 of the Bluejays’ 63 points, 10 of their 18 assists, and 16 of their 30 rebounds.

8. #13 Ohio 62, #4 Virginia 58 (Round of 64)

Few mid-major players were built for the national stage quite like Jason Preston, who put the world on notice earlier this season after a dominating performance against Illinois – and was, arguably, the biggest catalyst in the Bobcats’ stunning upset over the defending national champions.  In a game where neither team held a lead over seven points, this tilt was slow and methodical – which, obviously, benefits the defensively-minded Cavaliers, but it was Ohio’s ability to get to the charity stripe and capitalize that created the upset.

Virginia maintained the lead for an overwhelming majority of the game, but their advantages were quickly eliminated and chipped away at by Ohio – including their seven-point first-half lead, which was trimmed to one by halftime, and another in the second stanza that was quickly eviscerated by an 18-4 run that finally gave the Bobcats the edge.  That, finally, presented Ohio with its own seven-point edge – which, coincidentally and unsurprisingly, was cut into by Virginia.

But four-straight free throws were enough to give the Bobcats enough cushion to evade a game-tying attempt, finishing the upset and ending the Cavaliers’ attempt to defend their title.  Preston, as expected, stuffed the stat sheet, posting 11 points, 13 boards, and eight assists – but it was Ben Vander Plas and Ben Roderick who led Ohio in scoring with 17 and 15 points, respectively.

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7. #14 Abilene Christian 53, #3 Texas 52 (Round of 64)

The final game of the first round produced one of the most stunning – and ugly – results in the entire tournament.  In just their second NCAA Div. I Tournament appearance ever, Abilene Christian – the nation’s best team in generating turnovers – feasted on the Longhorns’ erratic style of play, but it was a struggle to seal the deal.  Texas struck first, building a quick six-point lead that was just as speedily erased by the Wildcats.

Neither team, subsequently, took a lead greater than three until a Kai Jones breakaway dunk put Texas up five at halftime.  A quick 4-0 spurt out of the gates made it seem like Texas would take this one easily, but several turnovers and missed shots allowed Abilene Christian to reclaim the lead.  The script was much the same in the second stanza, where neither team held a lead greater than four for the final nine and a half minutes – but an Andrew Jones three-pointer with 15 seconds seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for an upset-bid.

Abilene’s Joe Pleasant had other ideas, however, drawing a foul with one second remaining, and – despite shooting worse than 60% from the line – calmly draining both free-throws before stealing the subsequent inbounds from Texas, ending the Big 12 Tournament champions’ postseason aspirations – as well as Shaka Smart’s career with the Longhorns.

6. #11 UCLA 88, #2 Alabama 78 OT (Sweet Sixteen)

Few results in the Sweet Sixteen were as surprising as UCLA’s romp over Alabama, especially just a week after the Crimson Tide poured in nearly 100 points on Maryland.  In a game with 11 ties and eight lead changes, this tilt finished countless runs – one that saw UCLA go up six points in the opening minutes before Alabama went on a 14-0 run, followed by a 9-2 UCLA run, and – eventually, another 15-2 run that sent the Bruins to halftime up 11 points.

But it was short-lived, as the Crimson Tide surged out of the gates on an 11-0 run in less than five minutes to knot the game.  Both teams struggled to pull away after that, in a defensive battle that saw the Bruins and Crimson Tide combine to shoot 41.3% from the floor – which produced a low-scoring affair that aided UCLA.

As if the Bruins had not endured enough theatrics already in their win over Michigan State, however, then this one was as perfect of a follow-up, as the Tide’s Alex Reese – with UCLA up three with four seconds left – drilled a long three-pointer to send the game into overtime and give Alabama a fighting chance.

It was not to be, however, as UCLA’s efficient offense – which included six double-digit scorers – and incredible success at the free-throw line solidified the victory.  The Bruins finished 20-25 from the charity stripe, which included an 11-13 mark in overtime – while Alabama was an abysmal 11-25 on freebies.