Last year’s NCAA tournament was pretty awful. Chalk dominated the majority of the Big Dance, and no one with a soul likes UNC and Roy Williams. There was no Cinderella, no colossal upset or any legitimately compelling storyline.

This year’s tournament? Freaking insane!

If you have two out of the four Final Four teams in your bracket, like I do, you’re probably feeling pretty cocky. The tournament has been as unpredictable as it has ever been, and bracket busters have run amuck. The Final Four hasn’t even been played yet, and I can say without hesitation that this has been my favorite March of all time.

Because of this, I’ve decided to recognize some of the high and low points of this year’s tournament. Here is a quick recap of 2010’s Madness.

Best Game

This award came down to two marathon games. The first was an opening round double-overtime thriller between BYU and Florida in which two teams from the opposite ends of the country — and the partying spectrum — opened the tournament with one of the best battles in recent memory. BYU, led by best player-you-have-never-heard-of Jimmer Fredette, emerged victorious after the Gators ran out of gas.

It’s really hard to pick against a guy named Jimmer, but the Sweet 16 showdown between Xavier and Kansas State was just bananas. Unlike BYU/Florida, this game came down to the last second — in double overtime! The nails on my fingers are still suffering as a result of this game, and when I inflict bodily harm upon myself due to anxiety surrounding a game between B-level teams from Kansas and Ohio, it must be March.

Biggest Disappointment

Was Villanova serious? After barely escaping the first round against Robert Morris, the Wildcats were absolutely manhandled by Saint Mary’s and center Omar Samhan in the round of 32. I understand that Nova has no frontcourt, but you’d think that the backcourt of Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes would at least be able to foster a Sweet 16 birth, right?

Player of the Tournament

This was probably the most difficult category to choose from as so many players have performed at an extraterrestrial level. However, it seemed like every time someone had a phenomenal game or two, he would follow it up with a clunker. Most people would argue that this award should probably go to a guy that is still dancing, but I don’t see any player in the Final Four than is more deserving than Xavier’s Jordan Crawford.

A transfer from Indiana, Crawford initially gained popularity for his posterization of LeBron James in a summer pickup game. Now as a star on perennial threat Xavier, Crawford exploded this year, averaging 20.5 points per game along with five rebounds and a steal. However, his season stats paled in comparison to his tournament numbers. In the Musketeers’ three tournament games, Crawford posted scoring totals of 28, 27 and 32. In their final game against Kansas State, it seemed as if he just couldn’t miss. Every shot he took, except for his final attempt, seemed destined for the hoop. Congrats to Crawford on no longer being known solely for his humility donation to LeBron.

Worst Decision of the Tournament

Unlike the other categories, this one was a no brainer. Up just one with under a minute left against tournament-favorite Kansas, Northern Iowa was treading on very, very thin ice. UNI’s best player, Ali Farokhmanesh, received the ball after his team finally managed to break the Jayhawk’s full-court press. With 30 seconds left on the shot clock, Farokhmanesh cleared his defender, and took a three-point bomb from the wing. Not only were the odds against him, but a misfired attempt would give Kansas a chance to win the game with plenty of time to work with. Farokhmanesh’s shot was not just ill advised — it was downright insane.

Best Decision of the Tournament

HOLY #*$%*#$% IT WENT IN! Farokhmanesh nailed the shot heard ‘round America. With 30 seconds left on the shot clock, he made one hell of a courageous decision, and it paid off in the form of one of the most dramatic bracket busters of all time. The dagger made Farokhmanesh an instant celebrity and cemented his spot as the most recognizable face in Iowa since Herbert Hoover.

Honorable mention goes to his teammate, Lucas O’Rear, for growing the greatest pair of muttonchops in college basketball history.

Zach Zimmerman “forgot” to mention that he picked Texas over Kentucky. Remind him that the Longhorns didn’t make it out of the first round at zachz “at” stanford.edu.