One of the best thing about the men’s NCAA Tournament is you never know when you’re going to see an all-time moment.
It’s one thing that Bill Russell scored a game-high 26 points in San Francisco’s 83-71 victory over Iowa in the 1956 NCAA title game at Evanston’s McGaw Hall to cap an undefeated 29-0 season and a second straight national championship. But he also grabbed 27 rebounds — four more than he had in the semifinals against SMU, when he scored 17 points. Even greater moments awaited Russell in the pros.
In the 1977 national semifinals, after UNC-Charlotte’s Cedric Maxwell tied Marquette at 49, Marquette coach Al McGuire called time and drew up a play.