The best thing about ESPN Classic, save the fact past games can't be converted to high-definition (at least not yet), is when it replays memorable games from all sports, marathon style.

That's been the case this week. It's been a great ride down memory lane. Most of the games replayed are from the 1980s. What a decade the 80s were for March Madness, which I say is the greatest in history. Here's one man's top five NCAA title games from the decade.

5. Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79, 1988: Danny Manning was a one-man show for the Jayhawks, which, some might forget, was coached by Larry Brown.

4. Indiana 74, Syracuse 73, 1987: Keith Smart's baseline jumper finished off a great game.

3. North Carolina State 54, Houston 52, 1983: Even after all these years, Lorenzo Charles' dunk off Derek Wittenberg's airball seems as surreal as ever.

2. North Carolina 63, Georgetown 62, 1982: Where it all began for Michael Jordan. This game was packed with stars, starting with Coaches Dean Smith and John Thompson.

1. Villanova 66, Georgetown 64, 1985: The most improbable March Madness win of all-time.

- Mark Podolski

Mark Podolski
MPodolski@News-Herald.com

The last time HBO Sports took a shot at a college basketball documentary to hype March Madness, the cable network threw up an air ball.

It's spotlight on the Duke-North Carolina rivalry a few years back was one of HBO's weakest sports documentaries. Its latest attempt, a look at the history of the UNLV men's basketball team and its coach, Jerry Tarkanian, doesn't rank with HBO's best-ever sports docs, but it's very good.

The film, titled, "Runnin' Rebels of UNLV" effectively recaptures the times from the early 1970s to the glory years of the 80s, and especially the early 90s, when Tarkanian's '89-90 and '90-91 teams were thought to be two of the greatest of all time.

UNLV's rise to college basketball powerhouse under "Tark the Shark" was interesting, to say the least. The program had little to no money or support from the institution, before rising from obscurity to become a national power. Along the way, there was plenty of controversy and scandal, which eventually led to Tarkanian losing his job.

There's also a fascinating look at UNLV's record win over Duke in the '90 NCAA final and monumental upset to that same Duke team in the Final Four the next season. For those not old enough to remember, that '91 UNLV team, led by Larry Johnson, has to be up there as the greatest college basketball team not to win a national championship.

Not so sure? Check it out. "Runnin' Rebels of UNLV" debuts on HBO March 12 and runs throughout the month.