Every Wisconsin, Marquette, UWM, UWGB moment in ‘One Shining Moment’

The NCAA Tournament really begins with the CBS intro music on Selection Sunday and ends with the 1980s melodramatic charm of “One Shining Moment.”

The song by David Barrett, written shortly before it first debuted as a grace note on the 1987 men’s basketball NCAA Tournament, has become a staple of April. The familiar tune serves as backdrop to a montage of video clips from the previous three weeks, a collection of highs and lows from that year’s tournament, played at the end of the championship broadcast after hardware has been handed out.

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The three-minute segment serves as a perfect encapsulation of the tournament, a final bit of pomp on the champion’s coronation and a badge of honor for anybody who appears in the segment.

These are all the Wisconsin references that appear in the “One Shining Moment” segments, all available to see on YouTube. We must provide the caveat that some of the earlier segments lack modern video quality, so there’s a chance we missed one or two.

1991: Heartbreak for UW-Green Bay

• Steve Smith hits the jumper that gave Michigan State a 60-58 win as time expired over UW-Green Bay (at about 0:30 of the video).

1993: Local player Nick Van Exel gets his moment

• There are no Wisconsin-team ties, but Kenosha’s Nick Van Exel of Cincinnati hugs coach Bob Huggins. The Bearcats made Elite Eight that year before losing to national champion North Carolina. (0:30)

1994: All about the Phoenix

• A man dressed as a Phoenix mascot screams into the camera as players run off the court in the background. (0:12)

• UW-Green Bay cheerleaders speedily carry the actual Phoenix mascot around the court. (0:20)

• UWGB players celebrate near midcourt after a stunning upset of California as the final seconds tick off. (0:50)

• UWGB players Eric Jackson and Ben Berlowski celebrate on the bench. (1:00)

• Syracuse star John Wallace takes a backward-behind-his-head pass from Lucious Jackson for a dunk over Green Bay in the second round. (1:25)

1999: Let’s not talk about it

• Southwest Missouri State celebrates a win over UW. (0:50)

2000: Badgers make the Final Four

• Mike Kelley of Wisconsin jumps into arms of bench player Erik Faust to celebrate the Elite Eight win over Purdue. (2:15)

• Travon Davis and Mark Vershaw celebrate the win over Purdue. (2:17)

• An overhead shot of Final Four jump ball, with Andy Kowske leaping up for the ball against Michigan State. (2:28)

• Vershaw hits a baseline layup, Mateen Cleaves of MSU makes a save, and Roy Boone hits a twisting jumper that falls in the national-semifinal loss to the Spartans. (2:29)

2001: Let’s not talk about it

• Hampton coach Steve Merfeld, a Wisconsin native who attended UW-La Crosse, is lifted off the ground after his team shocked second-seeded Iowa State in the first round. It’s one of the lasting visuals of the 2001 tournament. (1:15)

• Vershaw closes his eyes in frustration during Wisconsin’s first-round upset to Georgia State. (1:35)

2003: A Final Four for Marquette, but some moments are missing

• Joe Chapman of Marquette dances on the sideline. (1:10)

• Devin Harris wins a battle for a pass near halfcourt by batting it away from Weber State defenders. (2:00)

• Travis Diener hugs Robert Jackson and Todd Townsend as Terry Sanders closes in near halfcourt after Marquette defeats Pittsburgh. (2:02)

• Robert Jackson runs up the floor with a smile on his face and tongue out. (2:18)

• What we don’t see: Any Dwyane Wade, whose triple-double against Kentucky in the Elite Eight was the performance of the tournament. We also don’t see the buzzer-beater hit by Wisconsin’s Freddie Owens to survive an upset against Tulsa in the second round. We also don’t see UW-Milwaukee’s Dylan Page narrowly missing an open layup in the final seconds against Notre Dame in the first round.

2004: Bucky!

• As far as we can tell, it’s the only time the Bucky Badger mascot (aside from illustrations on clothing) has appeared in “One Shining Moment.” (0:07)

2005: UW-Milwaukee a tourney darling

• The Wisconsin band gets some love. (0:19)

• UWM’s Derrick Ford collides with a driving Alabama player (0:39)

• North Carolina’s Sean May dunks with Badgers in background in the Elite Eight. (0:42)

• James Wright of UW-Milwaukee collapses in celebration in the arms of an assistant coach. The Panthers reached the Sweet 16 in 2005. (0:50)

• UWM head coach Bruce Pearl hugs his daughter, Leah. (0:57)

• UWM’s Ed McCants fires up crowd. (0:59)

• Panthers cheerleaders go crazy on the baseline. (1:30)

• Milwaukee’s Bruce Weber appears several times, including once in an orange jacket. The head coach of Illinois led his team to the national title game, including a Sweet 16 win over UWM. three times. (1:38, 2:35, 2:44)

• Wisconsin’s Sharif Chambliss shows off his jersey to the camera. (2:15)

• Wright flexes his muscles with the camera looking up at him. (2:17)

2006-08: Badgers referenced before Steph Curry steals the show

• In 2006, Ray Nixon and Brian Butch appear in a close-up shot. (0:23)

• In 2007, UNLV’s Kevin Kruger celebrates after his team beats Wisconsin in the second round. (0:44)

• Wisconsin’s Alando Tucker appears in a 2007 close-up, as well. (0:58)

• In 2008, Wisconsin’s Trevon Hughes makes a leaning runner against Cal State Fullerton. (0:26)

• Kansas State star Michael Beasley walks off the court, dejected, after losing to UW. (1:10)

• Marquette players Ousmane Barro and Dan Fitzgerald celebrate a win over Kentucky on the bench. (1:20)

• Davidson celebration shots abound as the Wildcats beat Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. Curry scores on a reverse layup with Badgers Greg Stiemsma, Jason Bohannon and Michael Flowers defending. (1:50)

• Brook Lopez of Stanford hits a tough running shot before the buzzer as Stanford beats Marquette in the second round. Marquette players are shown, dejected, while Lopez celebrates. (1:55)

2009-10: Wisconsin pulls an upset, then gets upset

• In 2009, Marquette’s David Cubillan looks frustrated on the bench. (1:00)

• In 2009, Wisconsin’s Jason Bohannon hits a three-pointer with less than one minute left that gave UW a 52-50 lead over Florida State en route to an upset win. (1:17)

• Then, filmed from the opposite baseline, Trevon Hughes drives and scoring with two seconds left in overtime, plus a foul to win. The team celebrates. (1:50)

• In 2010, a backdoor pass leads to a dunk by Cornell big man Jeff Foote in an upset over the Badgers in the second round. (0:35)

• Wofford’s Terry Martin pounds his chest as he runs down the court; UW beat Wofford in the first round in 2010 but had to work for it. (1:33)

2011: Keaton Nankivil’s bloody face

• Marquette players jump in unison at midcourt. (0:15)

• North Carolina drives on MU in the Sweet 16. (0:30)

• Wisconsin’s Mike Bruesewitz buries a huge three-pointer vs. Kansas State with 1:30 to go that gave the Badgers lead for good in the second round. (0:45)

• Blood oozes from a cut above Wisconsin big man Keaton Nankivil’s eye; the shot he took from the elbow of Kansas State’s Curtis Kelly would require stitches. (1:42)

2012: Wisconsin’s win over Vanderbilt gets some love

• Wisconsin players trot down the tunnel, led by Jordan Taylor. (0:08)

• Marquette players get hyped up on the bench. (0:20)

• Taylor and Rob Wilson ignite a celebration after UW narrowly defeats Vanderbilt, 60-57. In that game, Ryan Evans grabbed a late board and Jared Berggren tipped an inbound as the Commodores lost a chance at a last gasp. (0:48)

• A turnaround jumper by Josh Gasser as time expires isn’t close, and top-seeded Syracuse prevails by one point in the Sweet 16. (1:23)

• Jae Crowder of Marquette pounds his chest. (1:34)

2013: Marquette to the Elite Eight

• MU players dance in a circle. (0:05)

• Chris Otule matches up with a Syracuse player in the Elite Eight. (0:22)

• Moments after future Marquette coach Shaka Smart is shown walking off a court dejectedly, Marquette’s Davante Gardner and Otule celebrate a win. (1:10)

• Marquette coach Buzz Williams reacts in disbelief during Elite Eight loss to Syracuse. A Syracuse assist and slam dunk punctuates their trip to the Final Four. (2:10)

2014: Wisconsin to the Final Four

• A little girl is show wearing a Wisconsin shirt in the stands. (0:02)

• Sam Dekker screams in celebration. (1:13)

• Frank Kaminsky runs to midcourt in wild celebration after Elite Eight win over Arizona. (2:10)

• Josh Gasser guards Aaron Harrison in the national semifinal, but the shot goes in and lifts Kentucky to the national title game in a heartbreaker. On the bench, Wisconsin’s Trae Jackson is shown in disbelief. (2:23)

2015: Wisconsin to the national title game

• Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky breaks down a huddle. (0:16)

• Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker holds up three fingers after making a three-pointer. (0:28)

• Dekker hits a huge three against Arizona with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and girlfriend Olivia Munn watching in the stands. (2:00)

• Dekker drills a step-back three-pointer against Kentucky, followed by a Kaminsky fist pump and Badgers fans jumping around. The Final Four win over undefeated Kentucky marks one of the biggest Wisconsin sports moments of the 21st century. (2:23)

• Kaminsky hits a jumper, then a three-pointer against Duke. (2:35)

• But future Bucks player Grayson Allen screams after getting a hoop with a foul, Tyus Jones nails a three-pointer, and Duke celebrates the national title. Kaminsky is shown on the court, inconsolable. (2:42)

2016: Buzzer-beaters

• Paul Jesperson, from Merrill, banks in a half-court buzzer beater as Northern Iowa wins a dramatic first-round victory over Texas. (0:37)

• Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig hits his step-back three-pointer in the second round to stun Xavier. He celebrates with his bench. (1:27)

• Briefly, we see Notre Dame celebrating after toppling Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. (2:02)

2017: Buzzer-beaters, again

• Wisconsin coach Greg Gard celebrates his team’s win over Villanova in the locker room with water flying everywhere. (0:39)

• Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes scores on a late reverse lay-in, knocking out the defending national champion Villanova. Hayes’ celebration follows. (0:46)

• Zak Showalter hits an off-balance three-pointer late against Florida, then performs the belt celebration with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers smiling in the crowd. (1:44)

• But then, of course, comes the overtime buzzer beater by Florida’s Chris Chiozza to end the tourney run. (1:50)

2018-22: We know those guys

• In 2018, UMBC’s Joe Sherburne, a native of Whitefish Bay, speaks at a press conference and says, “We kind of all wanted to be in the ‘One Shining Moment’ video.” An announcer voiceover calls it “the shocker of all shockers” as UMBC celebrates becoming the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed, downing Virginia. (0:15, 0:50)

• Also in 2018, Milwaukee native Jordan Poole hits a crazy three-pointer at the buzzer for Michigan to defeat Houston in the second round. (1:20)

• Michigan made it to the NCAA final, losing to future Bucks draft pick Donte DiVincenzo and Villanova. DiVincenzo, the most outstanding player of the tournament, is shown multiple times. (2:40)

• In 2019, on the line “just how hard you worked” (which frequently shows a player straining either in the weight room or to make a tough play), Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ drives into the bench to make a save against Oregon. (0:35)

• A “Ja Jam” as Murray State’s Ja Morant throws down a dunk during his 2019 triple-double against Marquette. (0:48)

• In 2019, Whitnall High School alumnus Tyler Herro makes a three-point basket for Kentucky as the Wildcats reach the Elite Eight. (1:16)

• In 2019, Green Bay native and Virginia coach Tony Bennett hugs his dad, former UWGB and Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett. (2:07)

• After the 2019 final, Tony Bennett slaps “Virginia” onto a giant bracket as his Cavaliers celebrate the NCAA title. (2:48)

• A little boy in a Badgers sweatshirt appears at the start of the 2021 video. (0:19)

• On the opening line, “The ball is tipped,” the ball rises into the sky for Wisconsin-North Carolina in front of half-filled stands in 2021, still in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic with all games played in Indiana. (0:21)

• In 2021, Wisconsin’s Brad Davison makes a salute after hitting a shot. (1:00)

• In 2022, Izaiah Brockington celebrates for Iowa State, a team that defeated Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Aljaz Kunc hits a three-pointer for the Cyclones against UW. (0:46, 1:12)

• Brad Davison slaps the name Wisconsin on a giant bracket after win over Colgate in 2022 in Milwaukee. (1:16)

2023-25: Marquette gets results under Shaka Smart

• In 2023, Kam Jones dances during pregame introductions surrounded by teammates. (0:02)

• Marquette coach Shaka Smart crouches into his low stance on the sideline as a Marquette player is shown in the foreground. (0:58)

• In 2024, we see another Badgers fan. (0:13)

• Marquette’s Oso Ighodaro goes up for the tip during “the ball is tipped,” facing off against Tristan Da Silva of Colorado in the second round. (0:22)

• Also in 2024, Pewaukee’s Jack Gohlke makes a shot for Oakland, part of his eye-popping 10 three-pointers to beat Kentucky. (0:30)

• DJ Horne of North Carolina State shoots a three after Marquette defender Stevie Mitchell fell down, followed by a Wolfpack celebration. (1:25)

• Marquette’s David Joplin screams in celebration after a basket. (1:37)

• In 2025, Marquette dances in a pregame circle (0:15)

• Wisconsin’s John Tonje looks exhausted laying on the court. (0:38)

• Donovan Dent of New Mexico celebrates during a win over Marquette in 2025. (1:23)

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ‘One Shining Moment’; every Wisconsin, Marquette, UWM, UWGB moment