There are a lot of worthwhile debates in college basketball: Reviewable plays, student-athlete compensation, transfers and coaching changes. Best moments is not a worthwhile debate.
With 351 teams, thousands of games and hundreds of thousands minutes, there are simply too many incredible moments to consider when reviewing the best of the best from the 2016-17 season.
But we still tried. And likely failed, because there aren't 10 best moments. There are hundreds of best moments. Nonetheless, there's little debate that these 10 games, individual performances, sequences and interviews helped make it a spectacular season.
Here are the top 10 moments from the 2016-17 college basketball regular season (and conference tournaments), listed in no particular order.
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Michigan's Run
Lost in the Michigan's Big Ten Tournament run (and subsequent Sweet Sixteen appearance) was how it all started in Washington, D.C.
Following the aborted take-off in Ypsilanti, Mich., the Wolverines didn't arrive for their second-round game until three hours before tip and they still managed to clobber Indiana.
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BYU Shocks Gonzaga
Five weeks before Gonzaga came within seconds of the first national championship, they were the victim of a gigantic upset.
After leading BYU 23-8 in the first half, the Bulldogs had a meltdown against the NIT-bound Cougars, losing their first game of the season — and only one until the national title game.
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Oregon vs. UCLA x 2
Oregon and UCLA's two matchups were decided by a total of five points.
In their Pac-12 opener on Dec. 28, Dillon Brooks hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the Bruins' undefeated season, 89-87. And then Lonzo Ball returned the favor six weeks later, engineering a 19-point comeback with a 19-point, 11-assist effort in their 82-79 win.
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Boeheim vs. Greensboro
One of the best off-the-court moments came following Syracuse's loss to Miami (FL) in the ACC Tournament.
Jim Boeheim laid into the city of Greensboro, N.C., where the tournament was previously hosted and is scheduled to host again in 2020. And then Greensboro knocked him out with a vicious right hook.
.@AdamZagoria @ACCSports We kindly disagree. But I guess you can lose in the 1st round anywhere. At least it's a quick ride home.
— City of Greensboro (@greensborocity) March 8, 2017
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Northwestern Clinches
Tourney-clinching regular-seasons games don't technically exist, but Northwestern's buzzer-beating win over Michigan on March 1 was as close as you get.
The Wildcats may have reached their first NCAA Tournament without beating the Wolverines but the 67-65 victory on a miraculous final shot likely secured the bid.
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Marcus Keene
Marcus Keene's entire season deserves a top-10 spot.
The Central Michigan guard averaged 30 points, 4.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds, and scored 40 or more points even times, including a 50-point game against Miami (OH) in January.
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Malik Monk's 47 vs. UNC
North Carolina disposed of Kentucky when it mattered but that doesn't erase Malik Monk's 47-point effort in the Wildcats' 103-100 victory in December.
The freshman guard shot 18-for-28, including 8-for-12 from three, and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 16 seconds left.
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Fort Wayne Beats Indiana
There's a reason high-majors rarely play true road games against mid-majors, and Indiana was reminded why in their fourth game of the season.
Eleven days after knocking off Kansas, the Hoosiers lost at Fort Wayne in a thrilling overtime game. Mastodons' head coach Jon Coffman's postgame praise for Tom Crean's willingness to play there was the cherry on top.
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Ferrell Brothers Reunion
During the season, we're occasionally reminded that basketball is secondary to real-life trials, tribulations and celebrations.
One of those moments came on Dec. 20 when Notre Dame guard Matt Ferrell was surprised by his brother, Army Lt. Bo Farrell, who was deployed in Afghanistan, following a win over Colgate.
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Kansas Loses at Home
When Kansas loses at Allen Fieldhouse, it's a really big deal.
The Jayhawks entered their early February home game against Iowa State with a 48-game winning streak in Lawrence. In 13-plus years, Bill Self had just 10 home losses. The Cyclones gave him No. 11 with a shocking Deonte Burton-led second-half comeback.
