Better Than Cinderella

When we talk about March Madness, we like to think about Cinderella. Our One Shining Moment reels revel in the VCUs and Ali Farokhmaneshes and Upset City, Baby! And what's not to love about a good upset story? Well, for one thing, the quality of play. A big reason why the tournament is so exciting is that many good teams, going up against opposition they've never seen before with little time to prepare, play down to or below the level of their lower-ranked opponents. It's high drama, but too often, it's low-quality basketball. Many times it's not until the tournament's second week when the real competition begins, and the well-balanced, well-coached—and until recent years, well-tenured—teams face off in well-played competition. Twenty years ago, two of these teams did just that, and played what may have been the greatest game in NCAA history.