Some people don't realize that it was not until 1985 that the tournament field was increased to 64 teams. Back in 1980, the tournament first increased from 40 teams to 48 teams. The tournament had just begun seeding teams by a committee in 1979. In 1983, the field was increased to 53 and in 1984 to 54. Many do not remember that it was not always 64 teams (or 65 since 2001).

CBS took over broadcasting the tournament in 1982 and that has turned into an absolute gold mine for them. Back in the 80s, I remember that ESPN would televise the day games on Thursday and Friday that would otherwise not be on TV. This really helped take the Madness to a new level. Once CBS realized that people would actually watch the weekday games during the day, they took over those broadcasts too.

I don't have specific memories of every year during the 80s. Some were better than others. I thought I would rank the championship games that were memorable to me and give you a little summary of each. I also will provide links to videos for each game which show you many of the highlights in about 2 minutes each (definitely worth watching!). Please do not be mistaken because the list is NOT who I consider to be the best teams, but just my best memories. I have no bias or connection to any of the schools, so these are just based on my nostalgic memories of these games from my childhood.

Here are OLD SCHOOL'S TOP NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES OF THE 80s:

Honorable Mention. 1979 Michigan State - It is one year before the 80s, so I can't put it on the official list. The Spartans won the game 75-64 over Indiana State who came into the game without a loss all season, but couldn't win their final game. The real story of this game was Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird. Magic Johnson of Michigan State was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player that year after leading his team to the championship. The championship game marked the beginning of the rivalry between future Hall of Famers Johnson and Bird. To this day, it impressively remains the highest-rated game in the history of televised college basketball. Both Magic and Bird would enter the NBA in the fall of 1979, and the rivalry between them and their teams (respectively, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics which I did a special issue on when the Lakers played the Celtics for the NBA championship in 2008) was a major factor in the NBA's renaissance in the 80s and into the 90s. The game also led to the "modern era" of college basketball, as it introduced a nationwide audience to a sport that was once relegated to second-class status in the sports world. That is why I felt compelled to at least give it honorable mention here. [link to video summary of game]

7. 1984 Georgetown - The Hoyas, coached by John Thompson, won the national title that year with an 84-75 victory in the final game over Houston. Patrick Ewing of Georgetown was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and I can still remember how he used to wear a grey t-shirt under his jersey and little white knee pads covering each knee. John Thompson became the first African American head coach to lead his team to the NCAA basketball title. The game featured a match-up of two of the greatest centers ever to play the game of basketball, Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon was part of a group of Houston players nicknamed Phi Slama Jama and helped the Houston Cougars to an impressive three straight Final Four appearances from 1982-1984 (though they would not win any championships). [link to video summary of game]

6. 1987 Indiana - The Indiana Hoosiers, coached by the one and only Bobby Knight, won the national title with a 74-73 victory over Syracuse. Keith Smart of Indiana, who hit an amazing game-winning shot in the final seconds, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. This probably would not have made my list had it not been for the clutch shot with the clock running down. Most kids, me included, have pretended to hit a game-winning at the buzzer while playing on the playground or in the driveway. So to see Keith Smart actually do it on one of the biggest and brightest stages was memorable to say the least. [link to video summary of game]

5. 1989 Michigan - The Michigan Wolverines, coached by Steve Fisher, won the national title with an 80-79 overtime victory over Seton Hall, coached by P.J. Carlesimo. Glen Rice of Michigan set an NCAA tournament record by scoring 184 points in six games and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Rice is one of the best pure shooters I have ever seen in my time watching the game. Just prior to the start of the tournament, Michigan coach Bill Frieder had announced that he would accept the head coaching position at Arizona State University at the end of the season. Michigan athletic director Bo Schembechler promptly fired Frieder and appointed top assistant Steve Fisher as interim coach; stating, famously, that "a Michigan man is going to coach a Michigan team." The team rallied around their new coach winning 6 straight with guard Rumeal Robinson calmly hitting two crucial free throws with just 3 seconds left in the championship game. [link to video summary of game]

4. 1988 Kansas - The Jayhawks, coached by Larry Brown, won the national title this year with an 83-79 victory over Big 8 Conference rival Oklahoma. As of 2008, this was the last national championship game to feature two schools from the same Conference. Danny Manning of Kansas was deservingly named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Kansas was considered a long shot against the top rated Sooners, who had previously defeated the Jayhawks twice that season. Manning recorded 31 points, 18 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocked shots in the championship game. For his seemingly single-handed performance in propelling the underdog Jayhawks to the title, as well as the Jayhawks' less-than-impressive record going into the NCAA tournament (21-11, most losses of any NCAA champion), the 1988 Kansas team was nicknamed "Danny and the Miracles." [link to video summary of game]

3. 1982 North Carolina - The North Carolina Tar Heels, coached by Dean Smith, won the national title with a narrow 63-62 victory over Georgetown. James Worthy of North Carolina was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, though another player you might have heard of stepped into the spotlight that night. The game was between the Hoyas, led by Patrick Ewing and Eric "Sleepy" Floyd, and the Tar Heels, led by Worthy, Sam Perkins, and a young Michael Jordan. The game was evenly matched throughout. However, with 17 seconds left in the clock, and the Tar Heels behind by 1 point, Michael Jordan made the game-winning shot. Georgetown ran all the way to the end of the court, and held the ball, hoping to take a last-second shot to end the game. However, guard Fred Brown mistakenly passed the ball to James Worthy. Worthy was then immediately fouled. Even though he missed both free throws, it didn't matter. Georgetown had no timeouts left, and they lost the game. Just like Keith Smart in the 1987 game, Michael Jordan would make the clutch shot. The game would be remembered for Jordan's big shot and that moment seemed to propel Jordan on his way to superstar status. I can specifically remember watching this game with my Dad on a small black-and-white TV in our kitchen (as I remember watching many games through the years). [link to video summary of game]

2. 1983 North Carolina State - The Wolfpack, coached by Jim Valvano, won the national title with a 54-52 victory in the final game over Houston, led by Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. The ending of this game is one of the most famous in college basketball history, with Lorenzo Charles' dunk at the buzzer off a high, arching air ball from 30 feet out by Dereck Whittenburg providing the final margin. This contributed to the nickname given to North Carolina State, the "Cardiac Pack", a reference to their often close games that came down to the wire as evidenced by the fact that the team won 7 of its last 9 games after trailing with a minute left in the game. Both the Charles last-second dunk and Coach Valvano running around the court in celebration immediately after the game have been staples of NCAA tournament coverage ever since. North Carolina State's victory has often been considered one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history and one of the best in sports history. All things being equal, it always fun to see the underdog come out on top. [link to video summary of game]

1. 1985 Villanova - The Eighth-seeded Villanova Wildcats, coached by Rollie Massimino, won the national title with a 66-64 victory over the heavily favored defending champion Georgetown Hoyas, still led by Patrick Ewing. Ed Pinckney of Villanova was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after registering 16 points and 7 rebounds in the improbable victory. The game is often cited among the greatest upsets in all of sports. This Villanova team remains the lowest-seeded team ever to win the tournament. Villanova, the #8 seed, beat the #1 seed Michigan and the #2 seed North Carolina to get to the Final Four of their region. This is a true story of David versus Goliath and is another game I can specifically remember watching with my Dad on that little black-and-white TV in the kitchen. You could not help but cheer for this true underdog as they created a real-life Cinderella story. It did not end with the dramatic last-second shot, but easily ranks along with the last two I listed as my most memorable NCAA championship games from the 80s and quite possibly from my lifetime. [link to video summary of game]

There's my list for the 80s. I loved watching those videos!  What great memories they brought back for me. My apologies to the 1980 and 1986 Louisville teams as well as the 1981 Indiana team which I did not include on my list. I could have included them in the bottom 3 slots, but they just were not all that memorable to me. The funny thing is depending on your personal memories, those could very well be ranked highly on your own list despite not making mine. I am sure everybody has their own meaningful moments, but I wanted to share with you mine from that decade.

1987 also marked the introduction of one of my favorite tournament features, "One Shining Moment." This is a video montage of tournament highlights set to an emotional song called "One Shining Moment" and I always look forward to watching it each year. It is not played until the winning team cuts down the nets after the final championship game. I was able to find a video link to the very first "One Shining Moment" from 1987. The song attempts to portray the range of emotions that these kids go through as they compete to be champions. CBS does a wonderful job and it is always something I have looked forward to each year since.

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is truly one of the very best parts of sports. I have felt that way as long as I can remember watching sports and still feel that way as another tourney is underway. Be sure to watch as much as possible because you never know when something magical might happen. That is why it is called March Madness.

That will do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks much for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you are interested in reading more of my Top 10 lists, please click there for a summary. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the new Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: Here is a sign and I was not sure how to feel about it. First, if my place had a special entrance for Ho's I am not sure if I would be advertising it so publicly. If I happened to be a Ho, I am not sure if I would be flattered that I had my own special entrance or offended that I was forced to enter in a different location than everybody else. Then I started wondering if they had a doorman who had to decide who could use that entrance. Would that doorman have to use his best judgment or do the Ho's carry special IDs? This sign just brings up so many questions.

Quote of the day: "Sports do not build character. They reveal it." -John Wooden