While it was an utterly disappointing end to an otherwise spectacular season for the previously undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Finals against the dominant - and now National Champion - Baylor Bears, I hung in until the final horn sounded.

Mostly because I wanted to watch the "One Shining Moment" video montage that always eloquently re-caps the madness in March. Because it was the first tournament in two years, I swear that I never wanted to hear a cheesy, 80's synth-pop song so badly in my entire life! Once again, the folks at CBS Sports did not disappoint. In case you missed it, we have the entire video posted below.

But, before we get to the highlights and silky vocal of the late Luther Vandross, here are a couple of interesting things we found out about the tradition of the "One Shining Moment" as the denoument of the tourney.

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It was originally written back in 1986 by a guy named David Barrett who was inspired after watching Larry Bird play. CBS started using it to end their broadcast following the 1987 tourney when Indiana beat Syracuse for the title. The version being used now is a cover by Luther Vandross. It is believed that it is the last song he ever recorded before suffering a stroke and eventually passing away.

At about the 1:37 mark of the montage, tribute is paid to Oscar Frayer. He was a member of the Grand Canyon University team that made it into the field of 68 only to be tragically killed just 9 days later in a car accident.

Without further adieu, here's "One Shining Moment", 2021 edition. (Oh, and thanks for the ride Zags. It was indeed a helluva season!)

Gonzaga vs. Baylor - 2021 National Championship

 

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