In Daniel Wilco's analytical piece for NCAA.com, the annals of March Madness history since 1985 are combed through to reveal the top 20 highest-scoring men's basketball games. What emerges is not just a list but a saga, prominently featuring the Loyola Marymount team of the late 1980s and early 1990s—a group that turned scoring into an art form, shattering records and possibly some backboards along the way.

Loyola Marymount's astonishing penchant for surpassing the 200-point total in games is a marvel. The zenith of their scoring prowess was a titanic tussle against Michigan in 1990, clocking in at an eye-watering 264 points. A deeper dive shows that it wasn't an anomaly; this team appears in the top five highest-scoring games, which isn't just impressive, it's a statistical improbability that borders on the absurd. Notably, for three years, they led the NCAA in points scored and points allowed—a hint that while they could score at will, their defense was, at times, as solid as a mirage.

Their 1990 offensive clinic had them and their adversaries averaging a staggering 230.5 points per game—a figure that not only tosses the gauntlet but chucks it into the next zip code. And let's not overlook the 1990 UNLV team, whose offensive onslaught in a championship game also finds its way into the record books.

What these historical scoring jaunts underscore is the duality of basketball philosophy: While a fortress-like defense can be the foundation of success, an explosive offense can render it secondary and bring fans to their feet. Loyola Marymount's legacy is a testament that, at least in the heart of March, a high-octane offense can seize the narrative, and quite fittingly, the back pages of history books.

A glance at the rearview mirror begs the question—will the game see a resurgence of such scorched-earth offensive strategies? It's a tantalizing thought for fans yearning for scoreboard-spinning matchups, an homage to a time when defense could occasionally be relegated to spectators in the offensive showcase.

In a sporting landscape often dominated by tactical conservatism and defensive chess matches, Loyola Marymount's legacy is a refreshing reminder of basketball's potential for unbridled spectacle. As the annals of March Madness enrich with each tournament, the question lingers—will another team capture the collective imagination with such a barrage of buckets? On that thought, the scoreboards wait with bated breath.