NCAA March Madness is full of the biggest shots, the biggest plays, the biggest moments. The 2008 NCAA Men’s Final Four, held in San Antonio, included one such moment. As Kansas fans remember it, it was “Mario’s Miracle.”
The Memphis Tigers entered the national championship game in the Alamodome as slight favorites over the Kansas Jayhawks. As such, the game was back and forth until late in the second half. Memphis went on a run to lead by double digits with just 2:12 remaining, but Kansas came storming back and brought the game within three points with time running out.
With just seconds remaining, Kansas guard Sherron Collins dribbled past mid-court and flipped the ball backward to Mario Chalmers. Chalmers rose over Memphis guard Derrick Rose and let a three-pointer fly. Under the Alamodome lights, nearly 45,000 fans sat silent as they watched the ball rise and fall. When the ball hit the bottom of the net with just 2.1 seconds left, San Antonio erupted. The score was tied at 63 and the game headed to overtime.
Kansas won in overtime 75-68. March Madness fans replay Chalmers’ shot over and over. Jayhawks fans will likely never forget that moment. It’s also a moment that forever lives in San Antonio Final Four history. The Alamodome hosted four Men’s Final Fours, has another on the way in 2025, and “Mario’s Miracle” in 2008 remains “One Shining Moment” in San Antonio.