The month of March is here, which means spring is right around the corner. But for us sports fans, it also means it's the month of one of many people's favorite sporting events: March Madness!
Each year, people watch the Selection Show anxiously waiting to see if their school made the DI Men's college basketball tournament or not, while others just wait for all the schools to be revealed so they can fill out a bracket.
With the first college basketball tournament of the 2020s soon to take place, I thought it would be nice to take a look back at all 10 tournaments of the 2010s and make you go, "Oh, I remember that!" Here we go.
2010
The national championship was an instant classic, with Duke facing Butler, a non-Power Five conference school. The most memorable play was at the end when Bulldogs star Gordon Hayward's desperation shot bounced off the rim and out, handing Coach K and the Blue Devils their first national title since 2001.
Other stories from that tournament featured a couple first-round upsets, as 14-seed Ohio shocked three-seed Georgetown, and 13-seed Murray State eliminated four-seed Vanderbilt with a buzzer-beater, while in the second round, number-one overall seed Kansas saw an early exit in the hands of the ninth-seeded Panthers of Northern Iowa.
One of the more exciting Sweet 16 matchups featured Xavier and Kansas State, which is likely even more memorable because of Gus Johnson calling the game. Towards the end of the first overtime period, Xavier's Jordan Crawford hit a deep three to send the game to double OT, but the Wildcats still won 101-96.
This was also the only tournament appearance of Kentucky freshman point guard and future Washington Wizard John Wall, who was on a stacked Wildcats squad with future NBA talent such as DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Patrick Patterson.
These Wildcats made it as far as the Elite Eight, as they got eliminated by West Virginia.
2011
This year's tournament was the first to expand from 65 teams to 68, with four First Four play-in games on Tuesday and Wednesday right before the Round of 64 begins on Thursday.
One of those First Four teams who was most successful was VCU, as the Rams went on a Cinderella run and became the first 11-seed to reach the Final Four since George Mason in 2006.
Unfortunately, VCU lost their national semifinal contest against Butler, who returned to the national championship for the second straight year, only to lose once again, this time to three-seed Connecticut, led by star point guard Kemba Walker.
This was also the first Final Four since 2006 without a single top seed. Ohio State, the number-one overall seed, lost a heartbreaker to four-seed Kentucky in the Sweet 16, while Duke also fell in the Sweet 16 in the hands of five-seed Arizona, Kansas got defeated by Cinderella VCU in the Elite Eight, and Pittsburgh got eliminated early in the second round by eight-seed Butler.
There were also a number of first-round upsets, as 13-seed Morehead State shocked four-seed Louisville, and five-seed Vanderbilt lost in the first round once again to 12-seed Richmond, who reached the Sweet 16 along with 11-seeds VCU and Marquette, as well as 10-seed Florida State.
2012
History happened in 2012 when two 15-seeds knocked out two-seeds in the first round, as Norfolk State upset Missouri, while Lehigh defeated Duke. This also marked the first time since 2001 that a 15-seed advanced to the second round.
Other first-round upsets included 13-seed Ohio slipping by four-seed Michigan, and 12-seed and First Four team South Florida beating five-seed Temple, setting up a 12-vs.-13 matchup where Ohio won.
All four top seeds (Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse, North Carolina) made it to the Sweet 16, marking the first time since 2009. However, the Wildcats were the only one-seed to reach the Final Four.
Led by freshman forward and future NBA star Anthony Davis, Kentucky defeated Louisville in the national semifinal, and eventually Kansas in the national championship. Davis won the Naismith award, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, and went number-one overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.
2013
This was the second year in a row that the number-one overall seed, as well as a school from the state of Kentucky, won it all, as Louisville defeated four-seed Michigan in the national championship. However, due to NCAA violations, the Cardinals' title was vacated years later.
En route to winning the title, Louisville was overcome with adversity when player Kevin Ware broke his leg in the team's Elite Eight matchup against Duke. Despite this, Rick Pitino's squad still beat the Blue Devils to advance to the Final Four.
This was also the second consecutive year where a 15-seed beat a two-seed when Florida Gulf Coast defeated Georgetown, as well as seven-seed San Diego State to advance to the Sweet 16, becoming the first 15-seed to do so.
A few other upsets included 14-seed Harvard stunning three-seed New Mexico in the first round, and 13-seed La Salle and 12-seed Ole Miss winning their respective first round games to face each other in the second round, with La Salle coming out on top.
Nine-seeded Wichita State of Missouri Valley Conference went on quite a run, as they upset one-seed Gonzaga in the second round, and eventually two-seed Ohio State in the Elite Eight, becoming the first nine-seed and MVC school to reach the Final Four since 1985.
One of the more exciting games of the tournament included Michigan-Kansas in the Sweet 16. Wolverines star Trey Burke scored all 23 of his points in the second half and overtime, as he hit a deep game-tying three to send the game to OT. Michigan came from behind to beat the Midwest region's top-seeded Jayhawks 87-85.
Ohio State also had some clutch moments of their own, when Aaron Craft hit a game-winning three-pointer to beat 10-seed Iowa State in the second round, while LaQuinton Ross knocked down a three of his own to eliminate five-seed Arizona in the Sweet 16.
2014
One year after reaching the Final Four, the Shockers of Wichita State entered the tournament undefeated, becoming the first team since UNLV in 1991 to do so. However, the Shockers suffered their first loss to Kentucky in the second round.
For the second time in three years, powerhouse Duke faced a first-round elimination, this time as a three-seed against 14-seed Mercer.
Not only that, in three of the four 12-vs.-5 first round games, the lower seed won. The results were North Dakota State over Oklahoma, Harvard over Cincinnati, and Stephen F. Austin over VCU.
Another notable upset in the tournament featured 11-seed Dayton beating six-seed Ohio State, as the Flyers were able to reach the Elite Eight, only to fall to Florida.
The Gators were the number-one overall seed entering the tournament, and were able to reach the Final Four.
However, Billy Donovan's squad was upended by seven-seed UConn in the national semifinals, who went on to beat eight-seed Kentucky to win their second title in four years. The Huskies were led by star point guard and current Washington Wizard Shabazz Napier that year.
Kentucky was able to reach the national championship thanks to a few clutch shots from Aaron Harrison, as he nailed game-winning threes in the Wildcats' Sweet 16 game vs. Louisville, their Elite Eight matchup against Michigan, and the national semifinal vs. Wisconsin.
2015
The big story coming into 2015's March Madness was Kentucky entering the tournament unbeaten, one year after Wichita State did the same thing.
The Wildcats made it further than the Shockers, reaching the Final Four in Indianapolis, but Wisconsin, led by star Frank Kaminsky, was able to knock them off their undefeated perch in the national semifinal.
The Badgers then faced Duke in the national championship, the first one with two one-seeds since 2008. The Blue Devils were able to escape with the 68-63 title victory, with Tyus Jones being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
While three one-seeds reached the Final Four, the only school that didn't was Villanova, as they got eliminated in the second round by eight-seed NC State, resulting in a crying Wildcats piccolo girl being shown on TV and going viral.
The other team to reach the Final Four was seven-seed Michigan State, as Tom Izzo's Spartans were the champs of the East Region, only to lose to eventual champion Duke in the national semifinal.
The first round saw two 14-vs.-3 upsets: UAB over Iowa State and Georgia State over Baylor. Georgia State won on a three-pointer made by RJ Hunter, as his father and head coach Ron Harper fell off his stool celebrating in excitement.
2016
The second round was not so lucky for the UNI, as the Panthers gave up 10 points in 30 seconds to three-seed Texas A&M, forcing overtime and eventually double OT, with the Aggies escaping with the remarkable 92-88 comeback victory.
This tournament had its upsets too. 15-seed Middle Tennessee shocked the basketball world by upsetting two-seed and tournament favorite Michigan State, while 14-seed Stephen F. Austin upset three-seed West Virginia, and 12-seed Little Rock beat five-seed Purdue.
10-seed Syracuse originally had slim Final Four chances, but made it regardless. Jim Boeheim's squad made a remarkable run in the tournament, with one of their big victories coming against top seed Virginia in the Elite Eight, as the Orange overcame a 15-point deficit en route to the win.
The year's star player was Oklahoma's Buddy Hield, as he led the two-seeded Sooners to the Final Four. Hield also won that year's Naismith award.
But the cherry on top was the nail-biting national championship game between Villanova and North Carolina. The Tar Heels seemed to have sent the game to overtime when Marcus Paige hit a game-tying three with four seconds to go, but the Wildcats still had enough time to rush down the court with Kris Jenkins knocking down a three-pointer of his own with zeroes on the clock, securing Villanova their first national title since 1985.
2017
North Carolina bounced back one year later, as Roy Williams' squad took care of business and beat Gonzaga in the national championship.
Besides Gonzaga, this year's Final Four saw a couple other unusual schools: Oregon and South Carolina. The Ducks reached their first Final Four since 1939, while the Bulldogs and Gamecocks both made their first Final Four appearances ever.
Last year's national champion Villanova entered the Big Dance as the top overall seed, only to see their repeat chances disappear in the second round in the hands of eight-seed Wisconsin. No crying piccolo girls were to be found this time.
Wisconsin's next game against Florida in the Sweet 16 had an exciting ending. Down 83-81 with four seconds left in the OT period, the Gators inbounded and Chris Chiozza was able to rush down the court and knock down a running three at the buzzer to advance Florida to the Elite Eight.
Another game with an exciting ending was the Elite Eight matchup between Kentucky and North Carolina. After Malik Monk of the Wildcats hit a game-tying three with seven seconds left, Luke Maye hit a jumper with 0.3 remaining to lift the Tar Heels to the 75-73 victory.
11-seed Xavier made a solid run in the West Region, barely sneaking by two-seed Arizona in the Sweet 16 but getting eliminated by one-seed Gonzaga.
Another big story was Northwestern of the Big Ten punching their ticket to the Big Dance for the first time ever, as the Wildcats made it as far as the second round.
2018
History was once again made in 2018 when a 16-seed beat a one-seed for the first time ever, as UMBC shocked Virginia.
In that same region, the Ramblers of Loyola-Chicago became the next 11-seed to reach the Final Four, with clutch victories against Miami, Tennessee, Nevada, and Kansas State. The school's chaplain Sister Jean also became the darling of the tournament.
However, Loyola-Chicago was upended by Michigan in the national semifinal.
The Wolverines were the number-three seed in the West Region entering the Final Four, with one of their big tournament victories coming in the second round against six-seed Houston thanks to a three-pointer at the buzzer by Jordan Poole.
Michigan faced one-seed Villanova in the national championship, and the Wildcats had the momentum for the most part, thanks to a scorching hot performance by Donte DiVincenzo, as he dropped 31 points and handed Villanova and head coach Jay Wright their second title in three years.
One of the most exciting games of the tournament featured Duke and Kansas in the Elite Eight. With the game tied at 72-72 and little time left, Blue Devils senior Grayson Allen's shot rattled around the rim and out, resulting in overtime and the Jayhawks winning 85-81 to advance to San Antonio.
2019
The final tournament of the 2010s proved to be a huge turnaround for Virginia, as the one-seeded Cavaliers finally won the national title under head coach Tony Bennett.
En route to winning it all, the Cavaliers faced three-seed Purdue in the Elite Eight and forced overtime thanks to a shot at the buzzer by Mamadi Diakite, and UVA won the game to advance to the Final Four.
The Cavs then faced five-seed Auburn in the national semifinal. The Tigers were up by two with little time remaining and seemed to have won when Virginia's Kyle Guy missed a potential game-winning three.
However, a foul was called on Samir Doughty of the Tigers, resulting in a livid Bruce Pearl and Guy knocking down three free throws to give the Cavaliers the 63-62 victory.
In another exciting national championship, Virginia faced three-seed Texas Tech. With under 15 seconds left, De'Andre Hunter hit a game-tying three to send the game to overtime, with the Cavs finally winning it all 85-77.
The star player of college basketball that season was Duke's Zion Williamson, as the number-one overall-seeded Blue Devils narrowly escaped with victories against UCF and Virginia Tech, but were knocked out by two-seed Michigan State in the Elite Eight.
Other notable players in 2019's tournament were Duke's RJ Barrett, Murray State's Ja Morant, Maryland's Bruno Fernando, UCF's Tacko Fall, Purdue's Carsen Edwards, Michigan State's Cassius Winston, Auburn's Jared Harper, and Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver.
The biggest upset in the first round was 13-seed UC Irvine beating four-seed Kansas State.
This was truly a remarkable decade for March Madness and college basketball in general, and I can't wait to see what the next decade holds for the spring tournament.
As a Maryland fan, I have high hopes about the team's championship chances. After all, this year's Final Four is in Atlanta, and the last time the Terps won it all was in 2002 and where? You guessed it, Atlanta!
Happy March, folks!
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