The true basketball Madness will be unleashed next month, and it will be a true heaven for basketball fans. March Madness is a time of the year when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) organizes a tournament where the best young players will participate.
March Madness is a tournament constructed from 68 of the best college teams in the United States, and most of these talented young players will be the future of the sport.
The best thing about March Madness is the sheer competitiveness of the college basketball teams. Since the championship will start in mid-march, we decided to highlight some of the best basketball movies that will get you in the right mindset.
Plus, the NBA playoffs start in April, and if you follow TwinSpires guide on how to bet on the NBA you know that it is important to know who are the underdogs in the competition.
So, what are the best stories of basketball underdogs in movies?
Hoosiers
This is an Indiana basketball movie where Normal Dale (Gane Hackman) starts as a new basketball coach that tries to build the fundamentals of the game. The action takes place in a small farm town, where the best player, Jimmy Chitwood, holds out playing but eventually joins the team.
Hoosiers is a classic inspirational movie that follows the success of young players as their progress through the championship. It is just like March Madness, where college players put all their hard work and dedication on the court in order to change their lives.
Hoosiers featured some great lines that are still circling the NBA championship, like ‘if you play hard, you’re winners, regardless of the scoreboard’.
Coach Carter
Coach Carter is definitely one of the best basketball movies of all time with Samuel L. Jackson as the main actor who plays the coach of an unmotivated team. However, Coach Carter wants to change all things from the ground up in the hope to build good fundaments for future professional NBA athletes.
Carter is trying to teach the team about principles, dedication, and hard work. On top of that, he tries to focus on pushing them to finish their education.
The movie is based on the real Ken Carter, who famously locked out his Richmond High School team in 1999 from playing until their grades are not improved.
Glory Road
This is another University basketball movie that features footage of changing times for the sport. The story of the movie will shoot you back to the mid-1960s, where times are changing at Texas Western Unversity.
Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) shows up in order to take over the basketball program and despite not having recruiting support, he finds seven black players, with little chance to attend college and creates his squad.
Throughout their undefeated season, the players will experience all kinds of resistance to integration, as Haskins makes history by starting five African-American players in a National Championship game at that time.
Now times are changed for the better, but many such movies led us to develop a new understanding of the game and have respect for each other.
Love and Basketball
If you are up for a more casual and yet interesting watch movie, then Love and Basketball is your perfect choice. It is a classic courtship between Quincy (Omar Epps) and Monica (Sanaa Lathan) where the love is born from the asphalt that they are playing on.
Mixed emotions from flirtation, anger, passion, to happiness are filtered through their one-on-one matchups. The couple negotiates its relationship while striving for individual success. This movie is not about the big game, but more about the passion and emotions that the sport brings.
White Men Can’t Jump
This is another fun-to-watch basketball movie that will bring some joy to your life. Although both Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes stand below six feet, their confidence is way up. It seems like trash-talking bravura more makes up for their height difference.
The Vince Beach hustlers begin as foes and quickly realize the monetary gains to be made off ‘chumps’ which is the most insulting street ball diss. Ron Shelton was the main director of the movie and this is one of his best works.
The elevated basketball scenes, both on the beach and the playground are full of passion, emotions, comedy, and love for the sport. There is a reason why it was one of Stanley Kubrick’s favorite movies, really!