March Madness: Magical Moments From This Year’s Regional Host Cities

Unlike 52 of the teams that have already been sent home, the men’s NCAA tournament remains undefeated.

The opening week of March Madness featured yet another delectable feast of upsets (so long, Florida), buzzer-beaters (take a bow, Dylan Darling) and Cinderellas (High Point lived up to its name). The second week figures to provide more of the same, even with the absence of the defending national champion Gators (who were stunned by No. 9-seed Iowa); as well as bluebloods Kansas (eliminated on a buzzer-beater by St. John’s aforementioned Darling), Kentucky (bounced by Iowa State) and North Carolina (victimized by VCU); and nary a Cinderella (every school still standing is from a power conference).

We don’t yet know which teams will make it to the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, or which players will become March legends for all-time. About the only thing we know for sure about the rest of this tournament is where the games will be played: The regional rounds will take place in Chicago (United Center, Midwest Regional); Houston (Toyota Center, South Regional; San Jose (SAP Center, West Regional); and Washington, D.C. (Capital One Arena, East Regional).

We also know it each city has hosted its share of magical March moments. With that in mind, here’s a look at each of those four locations, as well as the most memorable NCAA tournament moment in its history.

Chicago, Illinois

Venue: United Center
Dates: March 27 & 29

Matchups

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama (7:35 p.m. ET)
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (10:10 p.m. ET)

Most Memorable March Madness Moment: Orange Crush

The Syracuse Orange are nobody’s idea of a Cinderella, but nevertheless found themselves as extreme underdogs in the 2010 Midwest Regional. Syracuse had snuck into the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed and after edging No. 11 Gonzaga by three points in the Sweet 16, faced No. 1 seed Virginia in the Elite Eight. The slow-paced Cavaliers had what seemed to be an insurmountable 16-point second-half lead and still led 54-39 with roughly 10 minutes to go. But sparked by freshman Malachi Richardson, the Orange stormed back, outscoring Virginia 29-8 down the stretch for an improbable 68-62 win to earn a spot in the Final Four.

It was reminiscent of a similar comeback by an orange-clad team in an Elite Eight game the Windy City region from 11 years prior. In 2005, No. 1-ranked Illinois trailed No. 3 Arizona by 15 with just four minutes left before a furious comeback forced overtime, where the Illini would prevail in a game played before a frenzied crowd at Allstate Arena in nearby Rosemont.

Houston, Texas

Venue: Toyota Center
Dates: March 26 & 28

Matchups: 
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (7:30 p.m. ET)
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (10:05 p.m. ET)

Most Memorable March Madness Moment: The Shot

This is the first time the Toyota Center will host a regional (a move not without some controversy), but Houston is deeply connected to college basketball. The Cougars have played in seven Final Fours (the most ever by a team that has yet to win the national championship), including the classic 1983 title game won by N.C. State on a dunk at the buzzer; the Astrodome hosted a watershed game between Houston and UCLA in 1968 in which the Cougars ended the 47-game winning streak of the Lew Alcindor-led Bruins; and a bevy of stars including Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler have played for Houston.

But the most memorable March Moment in Space City history had nothing to do with the Cougars. In 2016, North Carolina and Villanova engaged in one of the great championship games in recent memory at NRG Stadium. The Tar Heels led by five at halftime but trailed by 10 late in the second half before senior guard Marcus Paige led a furious comeback that he capped by hitting an off-balance, double-clutch three-pointer with 4.7 seconds to go to tie the score at 74. After a timeout, with the delirious crowd tossing the seat cushions they had been given into the air, the composed Wildcats executed a flawless play that led to sharpshooter Kris Jenkins stepping into a wide-open 27-footer that he released just before the clock struck zero. It ripped through the net, the first true buzzer-beating shot in title game history, to give Villanova a 77-74 win and its first title in 31 years.

San Jose, California

Venue: SAP Center
Dates: March 26 & 28

Matchups:
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (7:10 p.m. ET)
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas (9:45 p.m. ET)

Most Memorable March Madness Moment: Double Drama

The SAP Center has hosted three previous West Regionals — in 2002, 2007 and 2017 — but the most Madness the building has seen came in the first round in 2010, when it was still known as HP Pavilion. Two of the four games played that day were decided in the final seconds: Quincy Pondexter capped Washington’s comeback from 15 points down in the second half with a basket with 1.7 seconds left for a 70-68 win over Marquette, while Danero Thomas hit a buzzer-beater at the horn to give No. 13-seed Murray State a 66-65 victory over No. 4 Vanderbilt.

Washington, D.C.

Venue: Capital One Arena
Dates: March 27 & 29

Matchups:
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John’s (Friday, 7:10 p.m. ET)
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State (Friday, 9:40 p.m. ET)

Most Memorable March Madness Moment: By George, A Miracle

There had certainly been Cinderellas before 2006, but they were either power conference teams that had underperformed before the Big Dance (think N.C. State in 1983 or Villanova in 1985) or smaller schools (such as Loyola Marymount in 1990) that turned back into pumpkins before reaching the Final Four.

Then along came George Mason.

The Patriots, out of the Colonial Athletic Association, were given an 11-seed in the East Regional and upset perennial power Michigan State and defending national champion North Carolina to reach the Sweet 16. After dispatching Wichita State in the Sweet 16, the only team standing in the way of becoming the first true Cinderella Final Four team since the bracket expanded to 64 schools in 1985 was No. 1 seed UConn. Buoyed by a raucous crowd just 19 miles from the school’s Fairfax, Va., campus, the Patriots stunned the Huskies 86-84 in overtime, surviving a missed 3-point try on the final play.

In the last 20 years, several other small schools have followed in George Mason’s founding footsteps including Butler (2010 and ’11), Wichita State (2013), Loyola-Chicago (2018) and Florida Atlantic (2023).