The Most Underrated College Basketball Game of All Time

NCAA March Madness 2005 is a very underrated game. While 2K’s college hoops series is still talked about to this day, specifically the legendary final title in that series, College Hoops 2K8, EA’s series was also really solid, and March Madness 2005 is a classic basketball game I rarely see mentioned anymore.
SOUNDTRACK LINK: • NCAA March Madness 2005
#retrospective #softdrinktv #game #review #sdtv

[@stevengrvp]

People miss college football I miss college basketball

[@Chrisssss45]

With the new EA Sports College Football game I hope we see a college basketball game. Heck even a college baseball one lol

[@deycallmewallace]

I miss both

[@offelijah7816]

​@@deycallmewallace same

[@SuitedNZooted]

@@offelijah7816 College games were the best! i miss them too🥹

[@zachcoggins9018]

@@Chrisssss45probably won’t for a while, if ever

[@tacituskilgore8747]

Back when EA made video games instead of shameless cash grabs.

[@purwantiallan5089]

NASCAR CHASE FOR THE CUP 05, FIFA 05 PS2 and 1, Madden NFL 2004 and 2005 PS1... Man, time flies so fast.😢

[@ST0NE_206]

I don’t know about you guys but I think that guy is passionate about the Utes ☠️

[@SOFTDRINKTV]

Dude went nuts lol

[@mattturner7500]

Yea would like an update how hes doing now

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@SOFTDRINKTVNCAA MARCH MADNESS 2005 > FC 24 and Madden 24.

[@PassingTheJ]

Damn you can feel the passion in this game....damn dude

[@purwantiallan5089]

The passions on this 20 year old EA SPORTS game still unmatched even till this very day.

[@Mateus_Carvalho]

God, those old intros were amazing. Big fan of the NHL ones.

[@Puvwilmo00]

“WE WANT THE CUP! WE WANT THE CUP!”

[@emobassist]

EA made some amazing games from 2002 to 2008

[@jchizzle15]

NBA live and NHL 98 were my introduction.

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@jchizzle15NBA LIVE 2000, NHL 94 to 05 to Madden NFL 2005 PS1, FIFA 98 to 2005 PS1 and 2... And even NFL GAMEDAY 2005.

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@Puvwilmo00still aged well even in 2024, man.

[@Maal7432]

I couldn’t stop playing this game when it was out. So fun playing with the classic teams.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Same. Even Madden NFL 04 also has classic teams and All Madden teams like "All Falcons", "All Bengals", "1973 Falcons" etc.

[@WillEvans15]

I miss college basketball games so much. The love for college hoops 2k8 and NCAA Basketball 10 was crazy. I play those dynasty modes non stop. I can only imagine what you would be able to do in this era with the technology now. 😢

[@purwantiallan5089]

NCAA FOOTBALL 11 to 14 also are equally amazing like College Hoops 2K8.

[@brdnl3]

In this era you have to pay for all the extras instead of everything being on the disc .. that what this era brings

[@jamesbradford4253]

Love seeing Kofi get a shout. SEVERLY underrated writer

[@SOFTDRINKTV]

He streams on twitch a lot, always worth checking out

[@ej_dios]

I got that vague feeling of nostalgia watching this because I played tf outta this game when I was little.

[@JacobKaplan95]

I still play this on my PS2 to this day. Great game

[@fortynights1513]

One of the few things that some people really go back to the PS2 for is older sports titles.

[@darnell16player]

I still have my PlayStation 2 games and this included. Great times and games

[@JacobKaplan95]

@@fortynights1513 couldn’t have said it better myself. Makes you realize how good we had it back then

[@JacobKaplan95]

@@darnell16player you got that right. I miss those days

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@darnell16playeryou can also play all the PS2 Sports games on your PS3. (As long as there are enough HDD Free Space though)

[@jameshoops10]

this game was fun af i remember getting for xmas and playing it all day, i enjoyed calling full court press & other set plays

[@kenstermcnine071]

yeah this game was supremely underrated, also the cover had me fighting for air LOL

[@SuitedNZooted]

Great video brother! Not sure which game, but I remember spending HOURS recruiting 5 star talent. And then you could transfer that talent to nba 2k! IT WAS EPIC!

[@offelijah7816]

Imagine if they put this type of efforts into sports games nowadays.😔

[@JayzoTheNextKobeBryant2.0]

Yooo They Still Can

[@offelijah7816]

@JayzoTheNextKobeBryant2.0 To be honest, I very highly doubt that they are gonna change. They are getting 70 dollars plus microtransciations, so that's about 120$. They are definitely getting enough money to keep making unfinished products as long as they keep their triple a license, so we're probably gonna have another decade of this bull crap sadly.

[@fortynights1513]

Nothing’s stopping them, but they typically figure that if they can get by without then why bother

[@trillkevin7632]

@@fortynights1513 once people put hey footdown and stop buying these sports games thats never going to happen

[@gtjaaa5551]

@@trillkevin7632ultimately it will good saying that’s always true nothing last forever but the question is how long will it continue to be this way

[@The3Sp7]

The soundtrack was so incredible! It’s so crazy that these games with limited gameplay features and bad graphics, by today’s standards, felt like so much more of an immersive experience.

[@icrashout]

NBA Live 2005 was so amazing that we forgot that NCAA March Madness 2005 was just as good

[@Tristanisthebest]

That soundtrack to Live 05 had no business being that great.

[@GarkKahn]

2003 to 2005 was the golden era for live

[@tavius88]

It really is crazy how games took a step back from 05

[@darnell16player]

I’m happy this is being covered! I do miss the college basketball games and football ones when I look back but I’m glad people remember and that I have my ps2 copies of these games! I’m happy that more people will know about these games and maybe try them out!

[@ZeusAmun-pt9dc]

I had this game and I loved it!!! I created me at Princeton and man it was hard because all the other players sucked and I couldn't get any decent recruit to come. However I won a sweet 16 game against Kansas 82-80 with my created player scoring 72 if those points. It was so much fun.

[@chiefwidemarsh]

Spent so much time in middle and high school strategizing with friends about which weird small teams we'd take to the tournament in this game. These early 2000s EA basketball games literally made me a fan of the sport, got me familiar with the rules and the way the game works. That just doesn't happen with EA anymore. Everything has to be dumbed down to be accessible and easily monetizable.

[@Adam-oi2qc]

Lmao i had to suspend so many players in dynasty mode on this game because they were a problem in class 😂

[@JayBeingNatural]

The soundtrack to March Madness 2005 was NEXT LEVEL, the band did a wonderful job on these covers. I still think about these songs today. 😁

[@ThePrescriber]

sup

[@mrlemonhead7057]

Softdrink back with another banger

[@jealousbeanbag5636]

never stop making vids dude, cant wait until the new ncaa football game review already!

[@gamernorcal]

I always liked the March Madness series because i liked how they made it half arcade and half sim.

[@senorstronk]

yup. some of these ea sports games are peak arcade sports gaming.

[@CharmCityGamer]

I've never actually played this, so thanks for the video on a game I'd never seen SoftDrink!

[@rose4mvp2012]

I remember I told my mom I wanted NBA Live 05 for Christmas and got this instead, man I played the HELL outta this game. So much so I didn't even care about NBA Live 05 for a few months haha

[@BallinLikeMike23]

Great commentary again! Wish they would bring college hoops back!

[@LuckyLefty92]

I used to go crazy with JJ Redick on this lol

[@DubDigital]

Lol, right. Home court advantage at Duke. Those were the days, bro

[@ShinkuKaioken]

Thanks for listing my upload of the game OST. I appreciate it.

[@CodeGamer1]

I miss college football like everyone else, but I miss college basketball games way more. I had so much fun with those games. And while I understand why a big 64 team tournament doesn't work for football in real life, I feel like it's a much more fun way to end the season in a video game. I wish the ncaa football games allowed you to do that at the end of each season, regardless of whether it was realistic or not I wish they had the option.

[@jpegz0w6]

W softdrink for dropping 2 vids in 1 week💯

[@thaBebopCowboy]

This and college hoops 2k8 were so fun back in the day

[@dutchlinde3574]

The amount of testosterone in that intro is insane

[@boogersincoffee]

I played this soooo much my freshman year at Northeastern. Northeastern was pretty terrible in this game. That didn't stop me from going undefeated with them on the hardest difficulty 😀

[@cosmonautdubs]

That’s honestly impressive

[@jordanoshay]

Great video you got a new follower 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@willchomskis]

Love this game so much!! Played it all the time and still do randomly. Definitely will go get it out now on the PS2!

[@timduncan1406]

ive been playing some older nba games and ive had so much fun with 2k11 and even some of the older college hoops games even nba street , I really wish live would make a come back with a college game or even a modern nba street would be great

[@anthonyharris7209]

just loaded up my own Playstation 2 and will be playing NBA Street today lol

[@jcshades3]

The crowd pulse on march madness and ncaa football was so fun

[@Alfred0Santana]

How it never made its way to Madden is insane.

[@jcshades3]

@@Alfred0Santana more recognized in the college game

[@SCOPEGRZ]

Going back and forth between this and NCAA Football 06 on the PS2 was my childhood!😭

[@westheking12]

I KNEW YOU WOULD DO THIS ONE. This one was great! I like this one a little more than 2k5. Plus the graphics are a lot better on 360 than 2k5.

[@g.o.dtvboxing567]

Love when you drop vids

[@MikstrHD1]

Man this game was an absolute favorite of mine, my dad got it for me when I was 7 and I loved it ever since.

[@jordangamble3515]

Thanks bro. Jimmy eat world -Middle cover brings back memories

[@purwantiallan5089]

NCAA MARCH MADNESS 2005 even in 2024, still as amazing as even Madden NFL 2005 (PS1 & 2 Versions).

[@JayzoTheNextKobeBryant2.0]

Yooo Happy New Year !!!!🎉🥳🍾🍺🍻🥂🎆

[@willbrown45]

Bring back so many memories 💯

[@alexhummel1898]

I had a dynasty on this game about a year ago with my Kentucky Wildcats and honestly one of the most fun games I’ve played. I’ll never forget getting 4 6* and a 5 star in my first recruiting cycle and winning a three peat with that core.

[@MrT571]

That's pretty cool. Was there a selection show on this one? I forgot but I know 2K had one. It's awesome when you build a dynasty, although you cheated by using Kentucky, ;)

[@byrongotgame]

@@MrT571no Selection show on this game.

[@MrT571]

@@byrongotgame dammit.

[@TheProtagonistDies]

another dope video!

[@GrubWarp]

the soundtrack is so nostalgic. i still play it sometimes lol. Birmingham southern vs UCONN and i try to win lol

[@Griggs58]

Just played the demo for this on NCAA Football 06 for the first time in over a decade and it’s just as good as I remember.

[@HamidRez178]

My favorite NCAA basketball game. I remember gamefaq had named roster save files. Chris paul in wake forest was my favorite.

[@programme9363]

2:22 I can not even imagine a modern sports game taking this much consideration to teach their audience about the game.

[@inspectorjavert8443]

Love seeing my Alma Matter in the gameplay footage!

[@graysonkrueger4609]

This video brought back such nostalgic vibes. The soundtrack for this game was fantastic. I got this game for Christmas when I was 12. Spent more hours on it than I’d care to admit. Fantastic game, and more “fun” than 2k5 in my opinion.

[@5541james]

I think the last year in 2010 they made the their best game. Whats makes the game timeless is smooth adjustable gameplay along with all the plays bill self talked about in the game. I also think the most important of all is they have an Edit Team Players. I have made the every Jayhawks team then update the Big 12 as we play the team. I just enjoy playing the next game we have to see how it might go. I have 2 extra copies just in case this gets hard to find. I wish they would make another it seems that now they allow player pay they could definitely do a game with at least jersey numbers and likeness. Anyways Great video!

[@thefalconmeng]

Hey SDTV, perfect timing with another great NCAA video! Have you (or anyone else) heard the news that EA Sports is finally going to drop NCAA football news possibly at the national championship game? What are your thoughts, I’m trying to keep my expectations low over here.

[@M.B1s0n]

I made one of my homies have a 30-yr old rage quit moment playing him with the unranked MVC version of Creighton in three straight 'run em backs' while he chose top 10 teams each time. Like you said, the March Madness engine was the NCAA version of NBA Live '04, which I had gotten decent on.

[@Project_Artic]

I love crossing up guys with Center #52

[@lukabern]

i played this game a fair amount in elementary school! we didn’t have much money when i was young, so i exclusively played used games on my hand-me-down ps2 from 07-12. i feel blessed to have played so many great sports titles early on! my go to’s were nfl 2k5 and march madness 07 with adam morrison on the cover 💀 i still haven’t put them down after all that time (mostly because the new titles suck lmao)

[@Tommy_Wimmer]

March Madness 2005 was one of my older brother's first Xbox games. He got it for Christmas in 2004.

[@spiii6165]

Great video as always. Chaminade is pronounced “Shom-in-odd”

[@matthewrein2741]

These games were such a blast

[@user-gb1in9ze5y]

Loved this vid bro, could you go over ncaa basketball 08? I just got it and wanted to see your take on it

[@kevinpope9898]

Bought this game at Sam’s Club and was pleasantly surprised

[@Danny-sd5vm]

The EA Sports games in the early 2000's were awesome. They were fun, did a great job capturing the feeling of a college or professional atmosphere.

[@Mannyboi-hj2gs]

I miss those games i think about playing them today

[@reek4x633]

sports games was way better when dynasty/franchise modes was a focus

[@davidowens7305]

I got this game sitting right on my shelf 🔥🔥🔥

[@mjpietig]

I played the 06 version alot. Definitely agree. Just the discipline system was so out of control. Like something happens every day

[@handfullofsean]

Hanging by a moment college band edition was absolute fire

[@rstreet5537]

Still got it on the P2 havent played in a while though I mainly remember it because that was the first UNC championship i watched

[@efirebeats23]

I just recently did a dynasty with Texas a&m so much fun I stg

[@bjnt92281]

One reason why this game is underrated compared to College Hoops 2K5 is you could export the players on College Hoops to NBA 2K5 like you could with NCAA Football to Madden. That feature was on NCAA March Madness 2004 but for some reason EA decided not to bring it to 05.

[@pacmanpolitics7886]

That band version of my last resort hit different on this game

[@Bahns007]

Was that Mr. Terry from Mr. Terry History at the intro? Lmao

[@joeball13]

College hoops2k8 is the best one imo I just picked up NCAA 09 with Kevin Love on the cover for my PlayStation 3 because I was jonesing for some recruiting and dynasty mode. NCAA football 13 is awesome I bought that one recently as well for the same thing. I always liked those games more than the pro ones at least in the dynasty modes because recruiting has always been more fun than free agents.

[@ctnative203]

This is My Favorite College Basketball game ever ! Better than College Hoops 2k5 !

[@kelvin19888]

I remember I had this on PS2 Memories

[@mattforbes5808]

Man those intros never get old

[@GoCards1983]

I miss college basketball games but CH2k8 was the goat... u could play the AAU circuit and it had classic teams. Now when it comes to MM2005 UNC was a beast along with Louisville.

[@dcb99filmz]

It's always nice to boot up a college hoops game and have both of my city's teams face each other, something that hasn't happened in ages....Wright State must be too chicken to play UD.

[@justinbrooks5728]

This right here… 😙👌🏾 perfection

[@thecalviniv5153]

This game was so fun bro

[@KingJaymo2k11]

We desperately need a college basketball game on PS4

[@UofLFan1224]

Just need to mention how good the upscaling looks in this video

[@SOFTDRINKTV]

Try out Xemu if you have a PC, it’s awesome!

[@wlb277]

@@SOFTDRINKTV What are your PC specs if you don't mind sharing? Xemu can be taxing for certain games & might need a pretty solid computer to run some games at playable speeds currently.

[@SOFTDRINKTV]

Ryzen 9 3950x, rtx 2080ti, 32gb ram. But that's overkill. My steam deck runs 2K5 on Xemu just fine, I feel like this game would run smooth too but I'd have to test it@@wlb277

[@wlb277]

@@SOFTDRINKTV NBA 2K5 you mean? My i7 8700k, RTX 2070 Super, 16GB RAM PC runs that game like an unplayable slideshow mess even at default resolution on Windows 10 when not in menus. I've heard Xemu runs better or can run better sometimes on Linux over Windows rn, so maybe that's why it's like that for me but don't know for sure.

[@SOFTDRINKTV]

That’s weird. With your setup I’d expect games to run flawlessly. I have no idea why they aren’t

[@seanbates282]

Please bring this game back

[@SHx589]

2005 games are the best across all consoles. Golden age man!

[@R_C4RD_]

My only issues with the game was not having created team, not being able to play a mycareer, as well as not having created prospects to recruit (these were features in the ncaa games) but overall I enjoyed this game.

[@GhabCeoJTSnow]

I used too love making teams like Sacred Heart good I do miss college basketball games ❤😢

[@IDOITCartoons]

1:36 this song is called "Wonder", by Lakey Inspired 😉

[@MrT571]

CH2K8 was one of the best games i ever played. This one was good but i couldn't get into it like that one.

[@MilesLeonSax]

lol I remember watching the trailer for this game cuz Live 05 had it inside the game!

[@tylorgarant3904]

Was nuts with jj redick

[@AutoRockinRacing94]

Hey Mama band version 🔥

[@MichaelAlexander_]

Love ya content SoftDrink 🫡

[@crimlomotty2907]

The days when me and my boys would all be on one team and try and play a whole season. Won back to back natties 😂💪🏽

[@senorstronk]

Trying to find the march madness i would play back in high school. i think this was it. about to grab it off ebay lol probably a few others since they are dirt cheap loose.

[@KDGBSS1523]

You should do your favorite video game from each sport and explain why.

[@kendrickgibbs5326]

The only college basketball game I ever owned and played. Mostly because I loved NBA Live 05 so much