8 things we'll remember from the NCAA tourney

UConn cut down the nets, "One Shining Moment" played, and March Madness is officially over.

The Huskies easily handled San Diego State on Monday, claiming the program's fifth national championship and winning one of the wildest tournaments in recent memory.

Here are eight things we'll remember from the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

UConn laying waste to everyone

UConn didn't just lay waste to everybody in its path in the NCAA Tournament this year, with the Huskies' comfortable victory over San Diego State on Monday putting the program among elite company. Now with five national titles since 1999, UConn joins UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, and Indiana as the only programs in Division I history to have reached that number.

Just as impressive is how the Huskies did it. Dan Hurley's team dominated anybody in its path, racking up double-digit victories in every tourney game to finish with an average winning margin of 20 points. UConn trailed for a total of 5:22 of game action over its final four contests of the NCAA Tournament.

If you weren't a program from the Big East, you didn't stand a chance against UConn this season. The Huskies crushed everyone in non-conference play, rolling up a 17-0 record, with each victory coming by double digits. That performance throughout the entire campaign left no question about who the best team in the country was for the 2022-23 season.

Lamont Butler's winner

There had never been a true buzzer-beater to decide a Final Four game in the NCAA Tournament's history until Saturday night in Houston. Faced with a one-point deficit in the dying seconds against Florida Atlantic, Lamont Butler turned hero for San Diego State and etched his name in college basketball lore.

Fairleigh Dickinson shocks Purdue

The NCAA Tournament is one of the best events in sports due to the annual upsets that present shocking winners. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson's victory over No. 1 Purdue in the opening round this year is arguably the biggest we've ever seen. The Knights only qualified for the tourney field because their conference champion was deemed ineligible since it's still in the reclassification process from Division II to Division I. FDU entered the tournament with the shortest team of all 363 programs in the country and drew a Boilermakers squad led by 7-foot-4 national player of the year Zach Edey. Somehow, it didn't matter, and the Knights became just the second No. 16 seed in history to take down a No. 1.

Furman steals win vs. Virginia

There's been one constant on the court for Virginia over the last five years - the calm presence of standout point guard Kihei Clark. The school's all-time leading assist man entered the first-round matchup against Furman with a whopping 160 career games under his belt for the Cavaliers. Unfortunately for Clark, the finish to No. 161 was a disaster. With 12 seconds to play and Virginia clinging to a two-point lead, Clark was trapped on the baseline and heaved the ball into traffic at the other end of the court instead of taking a timeout. It resulted in one of the wildest finishes in recent tournament history.

The late triple secured Furman's first NCAA Tournament win since 1974 while ensuring Virginia would be out in the opening round for the third time in the last four tournaments.

Zero No. 1 seeds in the Elite Eight

It was a terrible year to be a top team in the NCAA Tournament, as zero No. 1 seeds qualified for the Elite Eight for the first time in the seeding era. Purdue's early exit against FDU was certainly the most shocking, but Kansas' second-half collapse versus Arkansas in the second round also stunned fans.

Alabama looked well-equipped to make a run as the tournament's top overall seed, but the Crimson Tide bowed out in the Sweet 16 to San Diego State after a rough 3-for-19 shooting performance by star Brandon Miller. Houston technically lasted the longest since it played roughly an hour after Alabama, but the Cougars also fell in the Sweet 16 to a hot-shooting Miami team. That halted their quest to win the NCAA title in front of a home crowd in Houston.

Markquis Nowell goes bananas

Every year the tournament identifies a new star the general viewing public might not be familiar with. There's no question Kansas State's Markquis Nowell is that player this year. The diminutive 5-foot-8 point guard was a one-man wrecking crew for the Wildcats' run to the Elite Eight. Nowell did more than just stuff the stat sheet as he electrified the crowd with a flurry of highlight-reel passes and deep triples. The New York native averaged 23.5 points, 13.5 assists, and four steals per game through the bracket. Nowell broke the NCAA Tournament record with 19 assists in a Sweet 16 victory over Michigan State, including this no-look lob in overtime to seal the win.

Nowell not only set the single-game assist record, but he also became the first player in NCAA history to have over 80 points, 50 assists, and 10 steals in one tournament run.

South Florida shines

South Florida is known for a lot of things, but being a college basketball hotbed is certainly not one of them. The 2023 NCAA Tournament went a long way toward changing that perception due to the brilliant play of both Miami and Florida Atlantic. A school from the region had never qualified for a Final Four from 1939-2022. But the Owls and Hurricanes made the trip this year from the Sunshine State.

Florida Atlantic's appearance was an absolutely astonishing run, as the Owls entered March Madness without a tournament victory in program history. A narrow win on a layup in the dying seconds squeezed them past Memphis in the opening round before taking down Cinderella FDU in the second. The Owls recorded a tough Sweet 16 victory over Tennessee that set the stage for a New York showdown with Nowell and Kansas State. Florida Atlantic outlasted the Wildcats in that one to book the trip to the Final Four.

Miami found itself in the Elite Eight last year for the first time, but Jim Larranaga went one step further with a national semifinal berth. The Hurricanes had one of the toughest draws of any program in the field, taking down No. 12 Drake before running through the region's Nos. 1, 2, and 4 teams. A loss to eventual champion UConn is nothing for Miami to be ashamed of following an incredible season.

Gonzaga-UCLA is guaranteed drama

For the enjoyment of the neutral viewer, Gonzaga and UCLA should be forced to play each other in every single NCAA Tournament. The latest instalment in the rivalry that brought Adam Morrison to tears and made Jalen Suggs an all-time tournament hero arrived in the Sweet 16 this year. This time, it was Julian Strawther who stepped up for the Bulldogs, canning a late triple from the logo to secure the victory.