Wichita State-Kentucky ranked as top game of NCAA Tournament

Sports Illustrated ranked Wichita State’s season-ending loss to Kentucky as the best game of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, the magazine posted on its website Friday.

“It was maybe the most momentous round of 32 game ever, pitting Kentucky’s arguably under-seeded but dangerous freshmen against a No. 1 seed with a 35-0 record. The teams traded punches and counterpunches until the Shockers’ Fred VanVleet missed a three-pointer at the buzzer,” SI’s Brian Hamilton wrote.

Three of the top four games involved Kentucky, but not the national championship game.

The list is similar to one CBSsports.com compiled in an April 9 article, which also led with the WSU-Kentucky Round of 32 matchup.

Of Kentucky’s 78-76 win, Matt Norlander wrote: “The only thing this game was missing was a shot that fell as time expired. The Shockers proved they earned a No. 1 seed by playing the best game of the tournament.”

Norlander also praised Cleanthony Early’s season-high 31 points and Ron Baker hitting “huge shot after huge shot.”

This story was originally published April 18, 2014 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Wichita State-Kentucky ranked as top game of NCAA Tournament."