The nets have been cut down, and all that is left are the memorable moments that captivated millions of Americans.
Many Dixie State University students were glued to their televisions as the road to the 2013 NCAA championship game unfolded before their eyes.
There were impressive shots taken, such as Trey Burkes’ 3-pointer against Kansas to give Michigan the win. A spot in the Elite Eight followed, and ultimately a spot in the championship game.
This seemed to be the year of the underdog as teams like Wichita State and Florida Gulf Coast made it far into the brackets, knocking off top teams like Gonzaga and Georgetown.
While many Americans were horrified and upset these unknown teams were taking out top players, Nanea Woods, a junior communication major from Portland, said she jumped on the FGC bandwagon.
“After they beat Georgetown, I wanted them to make it to the Final Four,” Woods said.
The Eagles made it to the Sweet Sixteen and were the first team 15 seed to do so in NCAA history.
While Woods was excited to see FGC make it so far, she was upset with how her bracket turned out.
“My bracket was pretty bad this year,” Woods said. “I stopped looking at it once Gonzaga was eliminated.”
Chance Truman, a sophomore undecided major from Enterprise, said his bracket was ruined after the first two rounds.
“It was ridiculous this year,” Truman said. “I picked Miami to win the whole thing, and they were out in the Sweet Sixteen.”
While this year was starting to be labeled as the year of bad brackets, something happened on Easter Sunday that changed what everyone would remember about March Madness 2013.
Louisville sophomore guard Kevin Ware jumped to catch the basketball and fractured his leg when he landed right in front of his teams’ bench. The compound fracture was caught incredibly in slow motion and was shown on televisions just as many Americans were sitting down for their Easter dinner.
“It was shocking,” Truman said. “I rewatched it just because I couldn’t believe that it happened.”
The injury happened in Indianapolis during the Elite Eight while the Cardinals were battling Duke for the Midwest championship and a spot in the Final Four held in Atlanta. Which just happens to be Ware’s hometown. Wares’ team members were then determined to win for their injured teammate, which Woods said is the best moment of the tournament.
“It was a great sob story,” Woods said. “I just ate it up. The team played for Ware the whole time.”
In the end Louisville was named champion when it beat Michigan for the greatest title in college basketball. And as for Ware, he was there with the team and was the one who cut down that net proudly.
