March 14, 1981
The "birth" of March Madness
Saint Joseph's win over DePaul is grouped together with two other great moments that happened within minutes of each other. First, U.S. Reed made a halfcourt shot to lift Arkansas over defending national champion Louisville. Then, just minutes later, Rolando Blackman hit a jumper at the buzzer to give Kansas State a win over top-seeded Oregon State. And right after that, John Smith converted the layup to give the Hawks the upset of DePaul. NBC's coverage allowed viewers to see all three finishes and people recognize that day, March 14, 1981, as the birth of March Madness
The last shot fell at a little past three on a Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles. Rolando Blackman, a willowy 6-foot-6 Kansas State senior from Panama by way of
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