5 viral moments from March Madness 2017 we'll remember forever
March Madness has a way of bringing out the tears - of joy, sadness, and laughter. The 2017 NCAA tournament featured plenty of all three, giving us these five viral moments to add to a lengthy collection of those we'll never forget.
5. Mark Few's handstand
🚨 MARK FEW HANDSTAND 🚨 pic.twitter.com/86cFk1tP1V
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 2, 2017
It wasn't the first time he'd done it, but it was the first time Mark Few hit the handstand to celebrate a win in the Final Four. The Gonzaga coach had never been to that stage of the NCAA tournament, and neither had his program, so defeating South Carolina and advancing to the title round gave him reason to party.
4. Refs take over championship
They made a One Shining Moment video for the refs😂😭 pic.twitter.com/kg4aQIJqKH
— College Town™ (@CollegeT0wn) April 4, 2017
Non-stop whistles, missed calls, and blatantly wrong calls earned the zebras refereeing the national championship game a legacy perhaps greater than the contest they officiated. North Carolina-Gonzaga wasn't the prettiest display of basketball, but the referees' abysmal performance on all levels surely didn't help either side find a rhythm.
3. Kentucky freshmen do care
Very emotional Kentucky locker room as expected. pic.twitter.com/ksNn4iOGHW
— Joe Mussatto (@joe_mussatto) March 26, 2017
North Carolina forward Luke Maye broke the heart of every Kentucky fan and player, but freshmen De'Aaron Fox and Bam Adebayo had theirs absolutely shredded. Fox struggled to get words out after the Elite Eight loss, while an equally distraught Adebayo couldn't do much better.
2. UCLA, LaVar Ball go down
"Holdup now y'all, I meant Seth Curry". pic.twitter.com/0b35XHzDhM
— Adam Howes (@Howsito) March 25, 2017
LaVar Ball spent weeks telling anyone who'd listen that his son Lonzo - supposedly already better than the likes of Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Magic Johnson - would lead UCLA to championship glory. Therefore, everyone on the planet had a tweet aimed at LaVar ready to go when UCLA bowed out of the tournament in the Sweet 16 versus Kentucky.
1. Northwestern fan loses it
The little dude's emotional roller coaster ride became an instant meme during the Northwestern's second-round matchup with Gonzaga. The best part is that we later found out the young fan is the son of Wildcats athletic director Jim Phillips.