The 5 greatest games played in NCAA March Madness history

There was no way we could talk about the most amazing games in March Madness history without including the biggest upset in tournament history. Before UMBC shocked the world with its 74-53 win over Virginia, no No. 16 seed had ever defeated a No. 1 ranked team.

What made the upset even more shocking turned out to be the level of dominance that UMBC showed in order to completely blowout one of the most consistent No. 1 seeds ever. The Retrievers shot 54.2% from the floor and absolutely blew the Cavaliers away in the most exciting blowout the tournament had ever seen.

UMBC's Cinderella story was cut short in the next round, however, after they were defeated by Kansas State.

Not only was this game an exciting battle between two of college basketball's most historic programs, but the back-and-forth battle led to one of the most famous buzzer-beaters in tournament history.

Duke and Kentucky had already built up a massive rivalry during the early 1990s, but fans came away as the real winners after the historic matchup that resulted in Christian Laettner ending the game by hitting 'The Shot.'

The Wildcats had taken a 98-96 lead with only seconds left on the clock before Laettner scored six straight points to eventually give Duke their 102-101 lead. After Kentucky decided not to guard the inbound pass, NBA legend Grant Hill chucked a pass nearly the length of the court to connect with Laettner, who turned around and hit a jumper from near the free-throw line to convert the winning basket.

We bring you a tale of not only another historic upset but also one of the most beautiful displays of offence in tournament history. Georgetown had been one of the dominant forces in the sport during the 1980s, and the 1985 season was no different, leading to the Hoyas entering the game against Villanova as strong favorites.

Most fans and experts assumed the Wildcats had no chance of pulling off their monumental victory, but that was before Villanova turned in an unbelievable performance and shot a mind-blowing 78.6 from the field.

What made the upset even more shocking is that unlike most March Madness upsets, when the favorites can be blamed for putting forth an underwhelming performance, that was not the case during the upstart Wildcats' historic win. Georgetown had shot 54.7 percent from the field, which would have been more than enough to secure a victory on most nights.

Yet another Georgetown game loss at home, but this time the Hoyas can thank a man by the name of Michael Jordan, rather than a historic team shooting night from their opposition.

The game featured several players who eventually found themselves inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, including Patrick Ewing and James Worthy, but Jordan turned into the star of the night after propelling the Tar Heels to a win.

Jordan had not yet become the household name he is known as today and was still seen as just another lanky freshman shooting guard with loads of potential that played for head coach Dean Smith. All of that changed after Jordan knocked down the game-winning shot with 17 seconds left in the game.

He went on to refer to that shot as "the turning point of [his] career," and my oh my, what a turning point it was.

The legendary game between the Wildcats and Tar Heels kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle and is still the only National Championship to end one a buzzer-beater. Both teams had spent the back-and-forth game trading 3-point shots and the game wasn't decided until back-to-back shots that took place with less than five seconds left in regulation.

UNC's Marcus Paige had nailed an absolutely absurd off-balance three to tie the game, and it appeared the contest was destined to hit overtime.

Miraculously, however, Villanova's Kris Jenkins sunk a game-winning 3-pointer as the game clock expired, securing his team an unbelievable victory.