MINNEAPOLIS -- Virginia players were celebrating their 85-77 overtime victory vs. Texas Tech in the 2019 national championship game, when they stopped to watch a video. But it wasn't just any video. It was the end-of-tournament traditional "One Shining Moment" video with highlights of this year's NCAA Tournament put to music.
The 2019 NCAA Tournament featured huge moments, expectedly unexpected upsets, the best quartet of Elite Eight games -- probably ever -- and the first national title game between first-time attendees in 40 years.
Minneapolis was a terrific host city. The 2019 Final Four was unique: Tony Bennett, won the title in his first visit to the Final Four and was one of three (Auburn's Bruce Pearl and Texas Tech's Chris Beard) also making their inaugural trips to college basketball's ultimate weekend.
Here are the names and games I'll remember most from the tournament: Carsen Edwards, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, Kyle Guy, Mamadi Diakite, Matt Mooney, Purdue vs. Virginia, Purdue vs. Tennessee, Virginia vs. Auburn, Duke vs. UCF, PJ Washington, Auburn vs. New Mexico State, Duke vs. Michigan State -- and so much more.
"One Shining Moment" features all of that and so much more. Watch it -- over and over again -- and cling to this 2019 tournament. There's a long offseason ahead, after all.
