The Best Moments From The NCAA Tournament’s First Weekend

By Andrew Musur on March 25, 2015

The NCAA tournament is one of the greatest sporting events in the world, if not the greatest. Sixty-eight teams fight for the right to be crowned National Champions, and to cut down the net as “One Shinning Moment,” plays in the background.

This year’s tournament hasn’t disappointed. So many great moments came from the first four days of tournament play, and I wanted to break down a few of my favorites. So here we go.

RJ Hunter

I’m sure you are well aware of the superstar they call RJ Hunter. Hunter is a junior point guard for Georgia State University. The 6-foot-6 Indianapolis native has put on a show for the Panthers his last three years.

Hunter has averaged 18.33 points per game and has hoisted 1,321 shots during his career at Georgia State. But no shot was bigger than the one he hit in the closing seconds against 3 seed, Baylor. The Panthers rallied from a 12 point deficit to shock the Bears.

Georgia State’s 13-0 run to close the game was sparked by Hunter who had 12 of those points, including the game winner. What was probably the biggest shot in the first round gave Georgia State the opportunity to play Xavier in the round of 32. Though the clock struck midnight on the Panthers against Xavier, they showed how crazy March really is.

What made RJ Hunter’s tournament run so enjoying to watch was the fact that his father, Ron Hunter, is the coach of Georgia State. Ron Hunter was able to do what most fathers dream of, lead his son to an NCAA Tournament victory.

RJ’s shot against Baylor will go down as one of the clutchest in tournament history, and his father’s celebration … well, that was just awesome.

It would be great for college basketball if RJ decided to return for his senior season and finish his career at Georgia State. Thanks for the memories RJ and Ron.

The Little Engine That Could: Dayton

The Dayton Flyers were an interesting team this season. They finished the regular season 25-8, and barely got into the NCAA tournament as an 11 seed. Dayton’s first tournament game was a play-in-game against 11 seed, Boise State.

A home court advantage and a one point win put Dayton into the field of 64, where they were paired with Providence. The Friars were no match for the Flyers, as Dayton won by 13. The round of 32 was next for the Flyers.

Dayton was going to be the underdog for another game, something they had gotten used to. Unfortunately the amazing run by the Flyers came to end as three seeded Oklahoma pulled away late to knock Dayton out of the tournament.

The most amazing thing about the Flyers was that they only had six scholarship players on their roster and didn’t have a single player taller than 6-foot-6. Though many thought they wouldn’t survive, that didn’t stop them.

Archie Miller and company proved once again they could go toe-to-toe with some of the best competition in the country. Dayton was a team I thought had the potential to make it to the Sweet 16, but they fell a little short. The Dayton Flyers were one of the most inspiring teams to watch in the tournament. I hope to see them back here next season.

Wichita State Beats Big Brother

Wichita State is no stranger to the big dance. The Shockers have made four consecutive tournament appearances and even made it to the Final Four two years ago. However, the Shockers were criminally under seeded when draws were made on Selection Sunday.

The Shockers were seeded at number seven after finishing the year ranked inside the AP top 15. Few could believe that the committee could get a seeding so wrong, but that wasn’t going to stop the Shockers.

Wichita State played with a chip on their shoulder in the first round of the tournament and knocked off a pesky Indiana team, setting up a must-see match up in the second round. The Shockers were set to play big brother, Kansas, in Omaha.

The anticipation levels were high, and the game did not disappoint. Kansas and Wichita State battled back and forth in the first half, and the Shockers went into the locker room up by three, 29-26. The second half started, and something happened.

Wichita State started to play out of their mind. The Shockers shot lights out as they started to separate themselves from big brother, Kansas. The final buzzer sounded and the scoreboard read Wichita 78, Kansas 65. The Shockers did it. They shocked the Jayhawks, and danced their way into the Sweet 16.

As Wichita State coach, Greg Marshall, said: “I had a little brother, hey, he grew up one day.”

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