Perfect Upset: The 1985 Villanova vs. Georgetown NCAA Championship

Georgetown. Georgetown. Georgetown. Coach John Thompson and senior superstar Patrick Ewing were seemingly on top of the world in March 1985 as a repeat NCAA basketball title seemed imminent. The only formalities were the national tournament and the championship game on April 1. Out of nowhere Cinderella crashed all the plans though as the Villanova Wildcats, led by Italian coach Rollie Massimino and scrappy players Ed Pinckney, Harold Pressley, Harold Jansen and Gary McLain shocked the sports world with a wild 66 to 64 victory that truly put an exclamation mark on March Madness in 1985 and forever altered the lives of all involved. But not everything is about basketball as this excellent HBO documentary examines a struggling U.S. economy that turned around by the mid-1980s, Reagan's first term as president, Georgetown's pop icon status of the time period, Thompson's ability to recruit in rough inner-cities and McLain's admission of being a cocaine addict in college. Briskly paced sociology lesson that doubles as an intriguing U.S. and sports history documentary for those interested in the topic. A slam-dunk. 5 stars out of 5.