Top 5 Quotes from College Basketball Championship Tournament Legends

March is one of the most exciting basketball months of the year. Teams have prepared all year long for important game moments that could advance them to the next round in the tournament with a championship in mind. Some schools see continued success year over year other schools take down top seeds to fight for an unexpected finish to the tournament.

This is the time of year where legends are made. Check out our favorite quotes from Division I college basketball legends below!

Confidence is what happens when you've done the hard work that entitles you to succeed" -Pat Summitt (Head coach University of Tennessee Vols, 8 NCAA championship wins)

Pat Summitt is undoubtedly an basketball legend. During her head coaching career with the Tennessee Lady Vols she had 1,098 career wins, and 8 NCAA Championships. Throughout her career she shared countless amounts of inspiration to coaches and players alike. With teams working all year long to achieve championship tournament appearances confidence in their training is key to success.

Everybody wants to take responsibility when you win, but when you fail, all these fingers are pointing." -Coach Krzyzewski (Duke Head Coach, 1980-present)

Coach Mike Krzyzewski is a college basketball coaching legend. He's help lead Duke to 5 national championships (1991, 1992, 2002, 2010, 2015). As of today, no coach in Division I Men's basketball history has one more games than him (1,170).

This quote is important for teams in championship season. Everyone wants to win, but at the end of the day losses may come your way. It's important to take ownership and accountability with a loss to grow and improve as a team in the future.

I always felt that no matter what I was doing, What I was going through, good day, bad day, on the basketball court that was my place" -Sheryl Swoopes (NCAA champion 1993, 4x WNBA Champion)

Sheryl Swoopes is a basketball legend who's love of the game led her to becoming an NCAA champion, 4x WNBA Champion, and hall of fame status. She finished off her college career with the Texas Tech Lady Raiders and won the 1993 Championship scoring 47 of the 84 points to win 84-82 against Ohio State.

Championship tournaments bring out a lot of emotions and nerves with high stakes games. Sheryl left all the external factors that could affect her game off the court when she played. 

Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character" -John Wooden (UCLA HEad coach 1948-1975)

John Wooden had an incredible head coaching career that led to 10 NCAA championship wins, 12 Final Four appearances, and 15 PAC-12 conference championships. Every game in championship season is important so while teams may breathe a sigh of relief as they advance in the tournament they must recognize that each game requires more than just talent. 

The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not." -Charles Barkley (11x NBA All-Star)

Charles Barkley is an NBA legend who led the Auburn tigers to their first NCAA tournament in school history in 1984. He went on to become NBA MVP (1993), and an 11x NBA All-Star. It can be easy for players to get in their head with large crowds and high stake games. It's important to not let a bad shot throw you off, stay confident and keep shooting!

Whether you're new to watching the tournament or have been following it for years we hope you'll be inspired to take your game to the next level during championship season!