Elite Eight, 2005: It doesn't get any better than this

AUSTIN, Texas -- Beat that, St. Louis.

Try to make your first Final Four in 27 years better than this past weekend's action. Betcha can't even come close. Four regional finals -- three of them decided in overtime -- made us sweat out the closest collective results to get to basketball's promised land since 1979.

It was an edge-of-your-seat weekend for Michigan State, seven other teams and millions of fans. (Getty Images)

A total victory margin of 21 points got North Carolina, Illinois, Louisville and Michigan State to Arch Madness. All four regional finals were decided by single digits, with Michigan State-Kentucky throwing drama's trump card on the table in double overtime at the Austin Regional.

Admit it. You spent Sunday asking your neighbor, "Did you see those games yesterday?" Just when you were coming down after the Illinois high and Louisville almost getting Pittsnogled, here came Kentucky's Patrick Sparks with the shot of his life.

A top-of-the-key 3 that seemed to take an eternity to drop through the net tied it 75-75 at the end of regulation, eventually leading to the first double-OT regional final in 39 years. The last team to win like that was that legendary UTEP team in 1966. The latest finished second in the Big Ten and was embarrassingly bounced out the conference tournament by Iowa two weeks ago.

But the Spartans were in an Izzone of their own, winning 94-88 Sunday.

"We thought we couldn't top those games," said Michigan State senior Kelvin Torbert, who, like a lot of us, was caught up in the madness on Saturday. "This is even a greater game than those."

Really, can the thrill factor of these regional finals be surpassed, ever?

"I don't think it can possibly happen," said NCAA selection committee member Chris Hill, watching Michigan State celebrate at courtside. Note to self: For helping to assemble this heart-stopping bracket, Hill and his colleagues deserve at least one round of St. Louis' finest export next weekend.

On us.

The key number for the final game before the Final Four is, fittingly, four. That's the number of bounces on the rim Sparks' 3-ball took before it dropped through, forcing the game into overtime. With no time showing in regulation.

Down by four in the first overtime, the Spartans collected five consecutive offensive rebounds before a Shannon Brown 3 got them back in the game.

Anybody catch that Michigan State went briefly to the four corners to drain the clock in the second OT? It was an unknowing nod to a guy who has coached in a few Final Fours, Dean Smith.