The top 10 Final Four moments of all time, Philly style

We interrupt the college basketball tournaments currently in action to take a look back at 10 of the most interesting moments in Final Four history with a Philadelphia connection.

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Villanova made it to the first in 1939, while La Salle played in the first championship to be nationally televised.

Local coaches, especially on the women’s side, have made their mark on the Final Four. From Geno Auriemma to Dawn Staley to C. Vivian Stringer, the Philly-area vibes run deep. Here are 10 memories along those lines:

Tom Gola had 19 points and 19 rebounds, and Charles Singley had 23 points to lead La Salle to the 1954 title win over Bradley. It was the first championship game nationally televised. Gola became one of the few players to win NCAA and NIT championships.

No Big 5 women’s team has ever been to a Final Four, but several Philly-area coaches have taken teams there. Muffet McGraw, who played at St. Joseph’s, made nine Final Four appearances — none more memorable than 2018 when Notre Dame’s Arike Ogunbowale hit the winning shot in each Final Four game to give McGraw her second championship for the Irish.

The Quakers are the last Ivy League team to reach the Final Four. Their second-round win over top-seeded North Carolina — in Raleigh, N.C., no less — has been dubbed “Black Sunday” by UNC fans. Wins over Syracuse and St. John’s sent the Quakers to the Final Four, where they were quietly dispatched by Magic Johnson and Michigan State. But, oh, what a ride.

Temple nearly shocked powerhouse Kentucky at the 1958 Final Four, but Vernon Hatton hit a running hook shot with 12 seconds left to win it for the Wildcats. Senior Guy Rodgers had 22 points in his penultimate game, but Temple had a costly turnover on its final possession and went 10-for-20 from the free-throw line. “That, in the long run, was the story,” wrote Inquirer sportswriter Herb Good.

The NCAA used to play consolation games, and, in 1961, St. Joseph’s found itself facing Utah for third place in the Final Four. The two played an epic game that needed four overtimes before the Hawks won, 127-120. It was the school’s only appearance in a Final Four, but it soon would be disgraced when it was learned three players — star Jack Egan, Vince Kempton, and Frank Majewski — were shaving points during the season. The entire slate for the Hawks — the sparkling 25-5 mark, the Final Four run — was vacated. “It was a sign of stupidity rather than a sign of evil,” Jimmy Lynam, a guard who had 31 points in that Utah game, once said. “They were good people. They were duped, and they paid a heck of a price.”

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NBC had the tournament rights in 1981 and decided to televise the national championship game despite President Reagan being seriously wounded earlier that afternoon. “ABC and CBS are on the air [with news] and we’re playing games,” NBC sports anchor Bryant Gumbel said at the time. “It makes us look like callous boobs.” Isiah Thomas had 23 points to lead Indiana to a 63-50 win over North Carolina at the Spectrum. It was the last men’s championship game played in Philadelphia.

They made a movie out of tiny Immaculata’s three consecutive AIAW championships (1972-74), the predecessor to the NCAA’s involvement in women’s sports in 1982. In the 1973 semifinal against Southern Connecticut State, Theresa Grentz tipped in the game-winner at the buzzer to complete a frantic 12-point rally with 12 minutes left. “She was the talk of the tournament,” coach Cathy Rush said afterward. “No one could stay with her man-to-man.” Without that buzzer-beater, there wouldn’t have been a three-peat. Probably wouldn’t have been a movie, either.

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The 2018 Villanova squad arguably is the best in city history. They finished with 36 wins, most for a City 6 school. They won their six NCAA Tournament games by an average of a 17.7 points, thrashing top-seeded Kansas in the Final Four by 16, and third-seeded Michigan in the title game by 17. Villanova had five NBA players.

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The design of the game-winning shot couldn’t have been simpler. The execution was perfect. Ryan Arcidiacono dribbled up court, shoveled it to Kris Jenkins who hit a shot at the buzzer for the ages to give Villanova the 2016 national title. “How about those onions?” shouted CBS analyst Bill Raftery. Jenkins, by the way, recently signed to play in a pro league in Venezuela.

Don’t let anyone say it differently. While Villanova surprised Georgetown to win the 1985 national championship, it would be inaccurate to call it one of the great upsets of all time. Even if Georgetown was 9.5-point favorites, the number was too high. Villanova was a senior-laden team that lost twice to the Hoyas during the season; once by seven points, another by two, and beat them the previous season. “We were relaxed coming in,” said Villanova’s Dwayne McClain, who led all players with 17 points that night. “We felt we had nothing to lose. If there was pressure, it was on them.”