This is a no brainer to me. Both were great games but a National Championship tops it all in my opinion.
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Almost an impossible choice but I have to go with the Purdue game. In addition to being one of the best games Iāve ever seen, it resulted in CTBās first final four. Purdue by the slimmest of margins.
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This is so good, and perfectly timed here 
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Absolutely amazing
Ha thatās great
In my family the prevailing basketball wisdom among the ancients (sorry daddy) is that the best college basketball game ever played was the ā74 AAC Championship between Maryland and NCSU. Legend had it that game was responsible for the NCAA expanding the tourney field to 64.
Maybe that game was better than the Purdue game, cannot say since I didnāt get to see it, but the Purdue game was the best Iāve ever seen. It might not have the gravitas of the Texas Tech game but for pure drama itās unmatched in my memory.
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During this entire thing, I though I would be voting for Purdue as the ābestā given the ending of that game and it resulting in finally giving TB his final four berth. But I just couldnāt bring myself to NOT vote for us winning our first national championship. So TT by a nose.
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love this
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Overcoming a super human performance by Carson Edwards forced my vote to the Purdue game. He repeatedly made shot after impossible shot to carry his team; yet somehow our boys never gave up. The Big 3, with a little luck, prevailed in a game for the ages!
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After the Purdue game Duke Basketball Report had an article saying something like, every fortunate fan base has one great game that they can always point to, and congratulations Virginia you just got yours. I think they were being gracious because their team hadnāt lost yet, haha.
Not being swayed by DBR, but thatās exactly how I feel about the Purdue game. It was such a great game with so much on the line, and for me it was the high point of the tournament.
Going for over the top analogies, as a Red Sox fan 2004 was incredible for finally winning the World Series, but the high point was the comeback against the Yankees. US Hockey winning gold in 1980 was unbelievable, but the most epic moment was beating the Soviets. Thatās the way I see the Purdue game, itās the one that rises to the top and shines brightest.
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The UVA vs Purdue game is the best game Iāve ever seen and I have watched it several times now. But what is the ultimate goal? To win a National Championship. Regardless of how great the Purdue game was nothing beats a National Championship
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Love the analogies. Nobody remembers the '80 team beating Finland. Not the case in this instance, but a great point.
The Purdue game also has that sentiment of āfinally, we did itā. I know, in my mind, making the Final Four was the endgame; that was the goal. Part of the reason the Purdue game blew out the Auburn game. If it werenāt for Kyleās three free throws, as in weād won in a less heart-attack-inducing manner, I bet that Auburn game woulda gone forgotten, at least down the line.
Iām not voting, but love to see how close this is right now! Thanks for participating everybody! Just a general reminder that the poll will close at 7pm tomorrow.
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Oooh yesss, I love the Miracle on Ice comparison @stoke! I listened the Miracle movie score that entire week after the Purdue game leading up to the Final Four and National Championship! (Though I sure wonāt forget our final two games like history has with the gold medal game vs. Finland!)
A part of me questions how I could not pick the National Championship game for all of the great reasons others have mentioned, but I feel like the Purdue game might have the edge for me ever so slightly. Both games were incredibly exciting and well-played, and I have so much respect for Purdue and Texas Tech. But I think for my experience as a fan, there was so much baggage tied to the Elite Eight game with the history of the 2016 Elite Eight breakdown and loss vs. Syracuse at the United Center in Chicago. Then again, there was still a lot riding on the National Championship game to become the redemption story as we know it today that means so muchā¦ But for Kihei to make that pass to Mamadi who hit that shot at the end of regulation to keep the United Pursuit aliveā¦ I think thatās what I gotta go with for this one!
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National Championship for me because it is the ultimate validation. You look at a coach like Jay Wright who had been to the final 4 before but was still viewed as a guy who ācouldnāt seal the dealā until 2016. People in the game know that coaches like he and Tony are the absolute top of line but the public perception changes with the title. Add to that I skipped the second weekend in order to go to Minneapolis and it takes the cake. I could be swayed, however, if I see that clip of Ty and Kyle hugging a few more times during the āhad your back when the world didnāt understandā part of Back Home. Gets me every time.
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Brutal choice here, like choosing between my favorite beer. The National Title game is exactly that. Playing for the first National Championship in program history is enough to lift you into my Elite 8 alone. Never mind the fact that it was a great game. Overtime, lead changes solid defense effective offense. Iāve watched the game 4 or 5 times and it always holds up.
The Purdue game is a whole different story. The Elite 8, the opportunity for CTB to take a team to the Final 4 for the first time. All historical context. Then toss in one of the greatest tournament performances ever by Carson Edwards, and then one of the most improbable plays of all time with Mamadiās game tying shot and you have a level of drama that is difficult to match. Donāt forget that Guy went out with a few mins left in the first half and was thought to be gone for the game, and he came back to can 4 second half 3ās. Epic all around.
For me it came down to the Purdue game and I went with it for a few reasons. The Purdue game is what put Virginia on the nations radar as a tournament giant. The game tying shot is one that will live on forever because of how improbable it was. I also cannot overlook the context. The Hoos were dogged as being a program not good enough to win it all, not good enough to make a Final 4. The ghost of 2018 loomed large. There was also the ghost of the 2016 collapse against Cuse.
To me the pressure was to get to a Final 4. Once they got there it was house money. Of course with each shot I wanted the Hoos to win more and more, but none of that is possible is you arenāt invited to the party in the first place. The Purdue game made it possible, and it gave the team a sizzle and an aura they never had prior.
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Agree, building on that and speaking of Duke, no one talks about that Duke won the 1992 championship over Michigan. People remember the play that beat UK. Hell even I had to look up who they played to win that championship before I wrote this. The UK game is the image burnt into the nationās memory. Diakiteās shot holds a similar place in the nations memory from 2019.
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I agree @brogdonfanpage, getting to the Final Four definitely had a āfinallyā sense. It was a step we were all desperate for the program to take, after the window had been open for several years.
Appreciate the comments @shaza_od. That reminds me I need to thank you for a post you made a while back, Iāll dig that up and reply to it.
This thread has been a lot of fun to follow and participate in. There have been a lot of great moments for Virgina basketball. Either of these games would easily be the pinnacle for most teams - high stakes, tough competition, quality of team and individual play, big moments, drama, milestone wins, back story. Weāre lucky to have such a hard choice!
Thanks to for putting it all together @brogdonfanpage and @Benrekosh. Really well done.
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REMINDER: THIS POLL CLOSE AT 7 PM TONIGHT!!! VOTE IF YOU HAVENāT YET!!! EVERY VOTE COUNTS!!!
Ladies and gentlemen, WE HAVE A WINNER!!! In a very close matchup, the Purdue elite eight game won the bracket by a mere 2 votes. Thank you all so much for participating in this bracket. It was so much fun for me, and I hope it was for you also. These memories were great to relieve for me, and I hope it was for you as well. If youāre sad this bracket is over, donāt be! @brogdonfanpage and I have a new bracket coming next week, so be on the lookout for that! Again, thanks so much for participating, everyone who did! I really appreciate you all and what you do! GO HOOS
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Iām sorry, but winning the national championship should have never had a vote against it.
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