(RNN) - The Georgetown Hoyas entered the NCAA tournament a top contender for the national championship. The Princeton Tigers entered with little chance of standing in their way, according to the "experts."
It was March 17, 1989.
The match-up began at a slow pace, which suited the 16-seeded Tigers.
Coach Pete Carril's players used "The Princeton Offense" he created, a half-court system that lowered the number of possessions in a game, negating the advantages of taller, faster teams.
The offense was designed to pull defenders away from the basket while players moved without the ball to slip behind the defense for easy scores, and it was working.
Georgetown was a No. 1 seed, the No.2 ranked team in the country and the Big East conference champions. Its team featured the Big East Player of the Year, Charles Smith, and future NBA star Alonzo Mourning.
The Hoyas found themselves down 29-21 at halftime.
The score remained close in the second half, as the crowd at the Providence (RI) Civic Center buzzed with enthusiasm for the underdog. The cheers grew for the Tigers until it seemed everyone in attendance was on their side.
With less than two minutes remaining, Jerry Doyle of Princeton hit a layup to put his team ahead 49-47. The crowd roared, and the Tigers' bench joined the standing ovation.
Mourning hit two free throws on the next possession to tie the game. After a Georgetown steal, Mourning used his height advantage to grab two offensive rebounds, getting fouled on the second as he went up to shoot.
He hit one of two, putting the Hoyas up 50-49. Princeton's Bob Scrabis attempted a 3-point shot with seven seconds left, but it was blocked by Mourning.
The Hoyas grabbed the ball but lost it out of bounds with one second remaining. The Tigers in-bounded to Kit Mueller who turned to shoot, but Mourning again tipped the attempt as the clock ticked to zero.
It was a disappointing end for a 9-year-old boy watching the game on TV that night. But the feelings of anticipation, excitement and joy I felt seeing the possibility of the impossible unfold made me a fan of a team I knew nothing about.
The potential of that happening again -- with the right ending this time -- made me a fan of March Madness for life.
Potential upsets
While you may hope to see one of the top seeds get knocked off in a monumental upset, it may not be wise to write one in on your bracket.
Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, no 16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1 seed (108-0). At a record of 4-104, the 15 seeds have not fared much better against the No. 2.
An upset in 8-9 and 7-10 games is only in number, as they typically feature two teams of similar stature.
That leaves four types of match-ups to pick from when you look for your bracket's underdogs. Here is one game from each that could produce this year's Cinderella.
Louisville Cardinals (4) vs. Davidson Wildcats (13) - 1:40 p.m. EDT Thursday
Teams seeded fourth in their region are a good place to look for upsets. At least one 13 has knocked off a four in nine of the last 11 tournaments.
Plus, the No. 4 seed will usually face the No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16 if it gets that far. So even if you pick wrong, it shouldn't hurt you too deep in your bracket.
Louisville comes off a successful run in the Big East Tournament, so momentum may be on their side. It is also coming off four games in four days, so weak legs may curb that momentum.
Add to that Louisville only has six players who average significant minutes on the court and no clear go-to guy for scoring.
Davidson has five players averaging more than 10 points per game, and big men De'Mon Brooks and Jake Cohen give them a physical presence near the basket.
Vanderbilt Commodores (5) vs. Harvard Crimson (12) - 4:40 p.m. Thursday
The dreaded 5 vs. 12. Upsets have happened in one of these games every season except for two (2000, 2007).
Vandy is probably going to bust a lot of brackets this season no matter what it does.
The team does not have a good history in the tournament.They got in as a four or five seed in 2008, 2010 and 2011 but lost their first game every time.
However, they are good shooters, solid rebounders and have a star in guard John Jenkins this year. They also look like they are playing their best basketball of the season after beating Kentucky in the SEC tournament final.
Harvard coach Tommy Amaker played under Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and previously helmed the Michigan basketball team, so he will not be intimidated by playing an SEC school.
As with the previously discussed Ivy League school, Harvard plays balanced, fundamental ball aimed at neutralizing more talented rosters. They also knocked off Florida State earlier this season.
San Diego State Aztecs (6) vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack (11) - 12:40 p.m. Friday
Aztecs coach Steve Fisher once upon a time coached the "Fab Five" at Michigan, so he is familiar with the big stage.
Jamaal Franklin, the 6'5" San Diego guard, has shown he can score (17.2 per game) and rebound (7.9 per game) against anyone. The team got wins against Colorado State, Long Beach State, UNLV and California this season, and only had one loss against a non-tournament team.
But the level of play they faced was nowhere near that of NC State. The Wolfpack lost four in a row down the stretch, but three of those came against North Carolina, Duke and Florida State.
Coach Mark Gottfried's squad looked like they found their stride in the ACC tournament, nearly knocking off UNC in the semifinals.
Georgetown Hoyas (3) vs. Belmont Bruins (14) - 3:10 p.m. Friday
It all comes full circle with the Hoyas.
Even better, they are now coached by John Thompson III -- son of the coach in 1989, John Thompson -- who graduated from Princeton and uses the Princeton offense.
The 14 seed is always a long-shot, but with 16 wins in tournament history it is far from unimaginable. Tournament fans may remember Belmont best for nearly beating Duke as a 15 seed in 2008.
Georgetown is a solid defensive team and will have superior length against the Bruins. But they are not a great scoring team, with only three players averaging double-digit points and no one averaging more than 14.
Belmont is ranked fourth in the nation in points per game, fifth in assists per game and No. 17 overall in field goal percentage. That means they pass well to find the open shot and hit them at a high rate.
This will also be the fifth tournament appearance for the Bruins in the past seven years, so the setting will be nothing new for coach Rick Byrd and company.
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