16 Sweet March Madness Moments
March Madness is heating up as the first phase wraps up! What started with 68 teams vying for the national championship in both the men’s and women’s tournaments is now down to just 16 teams on each side. These top teams will compete in the “Sweet 16” round from Thursday to Saturday. To celebrate, we’ve highlighted 16 of the most unforgettable and heartwarming moments from the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournaments so far. Let the games begin!
University of South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley Reacts To Steph Curry Support
When one of the GOATs recognizes your game, it’s a special moment for sure. Before his game last Thursday night, Steph Curry was spotted rocking a MiLaysia Fulwiley shirt, showing his support for the South Carolina star. When sharing her reaction, MiLaysia said she almost cried, explaining how she’s proud of herself for the work she’s put in to succeed and be worthy of paying attention to.
MiLaysia Fulwiley reacts to Steph Curry’s shirt with her on it
2. UC San Diego’s Hayden Gray Keeps Name Plate
UC San Diego may not have come out on top in their first-round matchup against Michigan, but player Hayden Gray is still walking away with great memories AND a souvenir. After finishing their post-game press conference, he adorably asked if he could keep the nameplate set out on his seat. This was UC San Diego’s first March Madness appearance, and we love seeing these players get to live out their dreams and appreciate every part of the experience.
Hayden Gray and his teammate Tyler McGhie taking their nameplates with them before leaving the press conference
3. UConn’s Jana El Alfy Receives Support From Her Teammates With Ramadan Fast
Jana El Alfy is currently observing Ramadan, which means she only eats before dawn and after sunset. Despite the early morning mealtime, Paige Bueckers has been getting up with Jana and even cooking her breakfast in support of her fast. These teammates’ bond goes far beyond just playing together - they are there for each other in every aspect of life, which makes us feel a little weepy.
Paige and Jana rest on the bench together before the Big East championship game (via Getty)
4. Ole Miss Walk-On Awarded Scholarship After Team Advances to Sweet 16
Sunday night was memorable for the whole Ole Miss men’s basketball team as they advanced to the Sweet 16, but it was extra special for one player in particular. Senior walk-on Cam Brent has been with the team all four years of college, and head coach Chris Beard acknowledged his hard work and dedication after the team took down No. 3 seed Iowa State. Before giving Cam the team’s label to place on the bracket, Chris announced, “Congratulations on your free education,” which prompted even more celebrations in the locker room from the whole team.
Coach Chris Beard reveals senior Cam Brent is receiving a scholarship during their post-win celebration
5. South Carolina Fan Wears Players’ Names In Her Hair
The South Carolina Women’s Basketball Instagram account shared this absolutely adorable picture of a young fan’s hair ahead of their first-round game against Tennessee Tech on Friday. Her braids include beads with the players’ (and iconic coach Dawn's) names spelled out with a heart. The way these girls inspire the next generation is just one of the reasons why we love women’s college basketball.
The young fan’s hairstyle in support of the Gamecocks (via @gamecockswbb, IG)
6. Creighton’s Steven Ashworth’s Son Steals The Show
A typical game during the NCAA Tournament has several “highlight reel” worthy moments, but in the first-round game between Creighton and Louisville, arguably the best clip was not of the players on the court. Instead, it was Tommy Jay Ashworth, Creighton’s Steven Ashworth’s 9-month-old son, that had fans reaching for the remote to rewind and watch the clip again. The precious boy was excitedly watching from the stands with his noise-canceling headphones as his dad scored 22 points to help the Blue Jays win.
Steven Ashworth shares about his son attending his games in the post-game press conference
7. Iowa’s Women’s Team Gets Pep Talk From Their Bus Driver
We know that coaches, moms, and teammates can be the hype women we need, but what about our bus drivers? Iowa’s women’s basketball team didn’t have to look far for a source of inspiration and energy before their first-round game— their bus driver, Mama Zee, delivered a passionate speech to the team. Iowa alum Caitlin Clark summed it up perfectly: “Okay, eat then. This had me about to go through a brick wall… heck yeah!”
Mama Zee gives her Iowa girls a pep talk before their game on Saturday
8. Drake DII Transfer Bennett Stirtz Scores 21 Points
One of the best aspects of March Madness is that any player has the opportunity to perform at their best on the big stage. This was certainly the case for Bennett Stirtz from Drake University. Last year, Bennett was playing Division II basketball at Northwest Missouri State. When his coach there became the new head coach at Drake, Bennett decided to make the switch with him. This move ultimately led to Bennett helping Drake secure their first round-one win since 1971, contributing 21 points and four assists in the game.
Bennett Stirtz with the ball in their game against Missouri (via Imagn Images)
9. Angel Reese Shouts Out Childhood Teammate
If you’ve been watching women’s college basketball for the past few years, it’s hard to think of the NCAA Tournament without thinking of Angel Reese and some of her iconic moments with LSU, including their first-ever national championship win in 2023. While Angel is now playing in the WNBA, she still popped into the March Madness world to share an encouraging message for her childhood teammate Aniya Gourdine, who plays for the No. 16 seed Southern University. Old friends are so sweet, and it just shows that Angel is a real one who cares about her people.
Angel Reese’s message to childhood friend and teammate Aniya Gourdine
10. Ref Allows Liberty Sub To Check In
Although they work just as hard as their teammates, some players on these March Madness teams rarely get the chance to play in a game. Down significantly with less than a minute left in their game against Oregon, Liberty’s JC Shirer Jr. was waiting to sub into the game, but the team had no more timeouts to call that could allow him to enter. However, referee Roger Ayers saw he was waiting, and stopped play to “check a wet spot on the court” and allow Shirer to play in the final minute. Hope in humanity restored.
Referee Roger Ayers helps JC Shirer check into the game
11. Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers Praises Senior Skylar Vann
Despite being one of the most popular rising stars in college women’s basketball, Raegan Beers quickly lifts up her teammates and gives credit to their impact on her individual and team’s success. In Oklahoma’s post-game conference after their first-round win, she was full of admiration for her teammate senior Skylar Vann, saying, “To have her as our center and part of our core on this team all year has just been special.” Raegan giggling at the end of her answer with tears in her eyes is very much how we feel watching sweet moments like this.
Raegan describes Skylar’s impact on her time at Oklahoma
12. Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara Celebrates With His Mom
After his win with Auburn against Creighton on Saturday, Chad Baker-Mazara shared a tender moment with his mother Carmen. Since she lives in the Dominican Republic, this is only the fourth game she has been able to attend in person, making the win even more special.
Chad Baker-Mazara and his mother hug after Auburn’s second-round win
13. Notre Dame Bench Goes Crazy For Walk-On’s First Points
Notre Dame’s Luci Jensen gained some epic lore last Friday during their first-round win versus Stephen F. Austin. Now she can tell people that she scored points when playing for a DI collegiate basketball team and scored a 3-pointer in an NCAA tournament game. Arguably, even better than watching Luci’s shot go in is watching her teammates go crazy in celebration for her on the bench. We love girlhood.
Luci Jensen’s shot and her teammates’ reactions
14. UNC’s Seth Trimble Chokes Up Talking About Senior RJ Davis
To get to the NCAA Tournament, each team needs to work well together and trust each other, but for many players, their team bonds go beyond that. They become like family and can look up to those older than them like younger brothers do. Such is the case for UNC’s junior Seth Trimble and senior RJ Davis: When Seth was asked what he learned from RJ, he shared how he was accepted and supported by the senior from the second he stepped on campus, and ended his answer holding back tears.
Seth Trimble gives an emotional answer to what he’s learned from RJ Davis
15. Oregon Women Win In Overtime
Winning in March isn’t easy; sometimes, the games even go to overtime, and we get bonus basketball. No. 10 Oregon pulled off the upset against No. 7 Vanderbilt in overtime on Friday, and their joy after winning is absolutely contagious.
Oregon adds their name to the next round on the bracket after their first-round wi
16. Mount St. Mary’s Coach Talks About Having His Son At The Tournament
Much like with UC San Diego, for Mount St. Mary’s, just being a part of the NCAA Tournament was a dream come true in and of itself. Head coach Donny Lind led his team through a First Four win to become a No. 16 seed before ultimately losing to the No. 1 seed Duke, all while having his wife and kids by his side. In the team’s post-game press conference after their loss, his son sat in with him, and we got emotional right along with him as he described the joy that comes from having his son be part of this journey.
Donny Lind and his son speak on their March Madness experience together at the team’s post-game press conference