2013-04-08

{“0″:{“0″:”As+we+conclude+the+75th+anniversary+of+the+NCAA+men%27s+basketball+tournament%2C+here%27s+a+countdown+of+the+10+greatest+championship+games+%26mdash%3B+dating+back+to+1963.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EBut+first%2C+a+few+notable+omissions%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++%2A%2A%2AIf+this+countdown+extended+into+the+1950s%2C+we+would+have+chronicled+North+Carolina%27s+triple-overtime+victory+over+Wilt+++Chamberlain+and+Kansas+in+the+1957+final.+%28UNC+defeated+Michigan+State+in+triple+OT+during+the+national+semis%2C+as+++well%29.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++%2A%2A%2AIf+this+countdown+was+all+about+cumulative+scoring%2C+we+would+have+celebrated+Kentucky%27s+94-88+win+over+Duke+in+the+1978+title+game+%26mdash%3B+with+a+red-hot+Jack+Givens+pouring+in+41+points.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++%2A%2A%2AAnd+if+this+countdown+wanted+to+honor+near-perfection+%28actually%2C+it+does+with+Villanova+later+on%29%2C+we+would+have+honored+Bill+Walton+for+his+44+points+%28on+21+of+22+shooting%29+against+Memphis+State+in+the+1973+championship.+%28Not+bad+for+a+guy+with+a+severely+sprained+ankle+toward+the+end.%29%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++Instead%2C+we+were+forced+to+make+some+serious+cuts+when+creating+this+highly+subjective+listing+of+the+10+most+thrilling+%26mdash%3B+and+impactful+%26mdash%3B+championship+clashes+of+the+last+50+years.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++Enjoy+the+show%21+%26mdash%3B+Jay+Clemons%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E+%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E+%3Cstrong%3ERanking%3A+10%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E+%3Cstrong%3EYear%3A+1963%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E+%3Cstrong%3ELoyola+%28Chicago%29+60%2C+Cincinnati+58+%28OT%29%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++%3Cstrong%3ESkinny%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E+Let%27s+begin+this+countdown+with+a+forgotten+classic+that+just+got+under+the+time-based+statute+of+limitations.+Fifty+years+ago%2C+Loyola+of+Chicago+rummaged+through+Tennessee+Tech+%28111-42%29%2C+Mississippi+State+%2861-51%29%2C+Illinois+%2879-64%29+and+Duke+%2894-75%29+before+getting+a+title+shot+against+Cincinnati+in+nearby+Freedom+Hall+in+Louisville%2C+Ky.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++For+the+1962-63+season%2C+Loyola+led+the+nation+in+scoring+%2892.3+points%29+and+impressively+won+a+championship+on+its+first-ever+trip+to+the+NCAA+tournament.+Featuring+All-American+Jerry+Harkness+and+the+fjfIron+Five%2Cfjf+Loyola+denied+Cincinnati+from+becoming+the+first+team+in+tourney+history+to+capture+three+straight+national+titles.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++Of+course%2C+UCLA+would+conquer+that+achievement+%28and+then+some%29+a+few+years+later%3B+but+at+the+time%2C+Loyola+essentially+halted+UC+from+becoming+the+first+dynasty+of+college+hoops+%26mdash%3B+although+Kentucky+won+three+titles+from+1948-51.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++Loyola%2C+which+rallied+from+an+eight-point+halftiime+deficit%2C+turned+in+balanced+scoring+efforts+from+Leslie+Hunter+%2816+points%2C+11+rebounds%29%2C+Vic+Rouse+%2815+points%2C+12+boards%29+and+Harkness+%2814+points%29.+All+told%2C+the+trio+absurdly+accounted+for+62+shots+%28making+17%29+against+the+Bearcats.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++As+a+footnote%2C+the+1963+Loyola+squad+was+recently+inducted+into+the+Basketball+Hall+Of+Fame.+%3Ci%3E%28Photo+Credit%3A+Associated+Press%29%3C%2Fi%3E%3C%2Fp%3E”,”caption”:”As+we+conclude+the+75th+anniversary+of+the+NCAA+men%27s+basketball+tournament%2C+here%27s+a+countdown+of+the+10+greatest+championship+games+%26mdash%3B+dating+back+to+1963.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EBut+first%2C+a+few+notable+omissions%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++%2A%2A%2AIf+this+countdown+extended+into+the+1950s%2C+we+would+have+chronicled+North+Carolina%27s+triple-overtime+victory+over+Wilt+++Chamberlain+and+Kansas+in+the+1957+final.+%28UNC+defeated+Michigan+State+in+triple+OT+during+the+national+semis%2C+as+++well%29.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++%2A%2A%2AIf+this+countdown+was+all+about+cumulative+scoring%2C+we+would+have+celebrated+Kentucky%27s+94-88+win+over+Duke+in+the+1978+title+game+%26mdash%3B+with+a+red-hot+Jack+Givens+pouring+in+41+points.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++%2A%2A%2AAnd+if+this+countdown+wanted+to+honor+near-perfection+%28actually%2C+it+does+with+Villanova+later+on%29%2C+we+would+have+honored+Bill+Walton+for+his+44+points+%28on+21+of+22+shooting%29+against+Memphis+State+in+the+1973+championship.+%28Not+bad+for+a+guy+with+a+severely+sprained+ankle+toward+the+end.%29%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++Instead%2C+we+were+forced+to+make+some+serious+cuts+when+creating+this+highly+subjective+listing+of+the+10+most+thrilling+%26mdash%3B+and+impactful+%26mdash%3B+championship+clashes+of+the+last+50+years.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++Enjoy+the+show%21+%26mdash%3B+Jay+Clemons%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E+%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E+%3Cstrong%3ERanking%3A+10%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E+%3Cstrong%3EYear%3A+1963%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E+%3Cstrong%3ELoyola+%28Chicago%29+60%2C+Cincinnati+58+%28OT%29%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E++%3Cstrong%3ESkinny%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E+Let%27s+begin+this+countdown+with+a+forgotten+classic+that+just+got+under+the+time-based+statute+of+limitations.+Fifty+years+ago%2C+Loyola+of+Chicago+rummaged+through+Tennessee+Tech+%28111-42%29%2C+Mississippi+State+%2861-51%29%2C+Ill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Greatest NCAA Title Games”,”title”:”10 Greatest NCAA Title Games”,”1″:”Here are the 10 greatest NCAA championship games of the last 50 years.”,”description”:”Here are the 10 greatest NCAA championship games of the last 50 years.”,”2″:”0″,”height”:”0″,”3″:”600″,”width”:”600″,”4″:”1365174699″,”created”:”1365174699″,”5″:”100″,”thumbnail_width”:”100″,”numrows”:”10″}} Related Posts:Lakers possible head-coaching candidatesMichigan rolls to 1st Final Four berth since 1993Burke, Michigan rally past Kansas in overtimeHoosiers rally late, hold [...]

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