The 15 Most Memorable NCAA Tournament Moments

Today is the 35th anniversary of a freshman named Michael Jordan hitting a baseline jumper to win a national title (Dean Smith’s first after 20 years). It was the herald moment announcing Jordan’s prodigious basketball career, and would probably not be as famous if someone else had hit it. Nevertheless, in honor of that moment, writers here at The Big Lead got together to put a large list of NCAA moments (so that it’s not just limited to winning shots or buzzer beaters) that are most memorable. We then each individually ranked them, and here is the composite result. Enjoy:

#15 Ali Farokhmanesh Pulls the Trigger on 3-Pointer Against Kansas to Knock Off #1 Seed

Look, there have been more dramatic shots than Farokhmanesh. But I’m not sure there’s been a more “check out the stones on that guy” shot than what he did facing the Jayhawks, up one with 30 seconds left. I can think of a thousand reasons not to take that shot–he was the only Northern Iowa on that half of the court, there were 30 seconds left and lots of time on the shot clock, etc. But you pull that off after a little “should I? Yes, I should” hesitation, and we remember you forever. Ultimate YOLO move. –Lisk

#14 Rip Hamilton Hits Fadeaway Buzzer Beater After UCONN Misses Several Attempts

This one gets in on sheer craziness and effort. The Connecticut Huskies seemed doomed after several attempts, including a previous one by Rip Hamilton, bounced off. Rip got that one last chance and in what might have been the toughest shot of the sequence, broke Washington’s hopes in half. –Lisk

#13 Adam Morrison Cries Real Tears as Gonzaga Blows Late Lead Against UCLA (2006)

This clip has it all. You had Gus Johnson screaming as the game devolved into insanity, as UCLA stole the ball and took the lead. Then, you had Adam Morrison crying tears while there was still time on the clock. One of the enduring images of March. –Lisk

#12 Bo Kimble Shoots Left-handed free throw in memory of Hank Gathers, swishes it, as Loyola Marymount goes on run

If you didn’t see them play, Loyola Marymount was a unique treasure. Then, tragedy struck when their best player, Hank Gathers, collapsed and died during the conference tournament. The rest of the conference tourney was canceled, Loyola was given the auto bid, and this team had to turn around and play their first game without him in the NCAA Tournament. They were dropped to an 11-seed as a result. They were already rolling when Kimble went to the line, and shot his first free throw left-handed. He swished it. Loyola went all the way to the Elite Eight. Still one of the best emotional moments in tourney history. –Lisk

#11 Princeton Beats Defending Champ UCLA With a Backdoor Cut (1996)

The back-cut heard ’round the world! One of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history was set up with one of the most fundamental plays the sport has to offer. In 1996, UCLA was the defending national champion and a four-seed, while Princeton was the Ivy League champion and a 13-seed. The Tigers slowed the game to a crawl and wound up winning 43-41 on a perfect backdoor cut with just four seconds left in the game. Elements of the so-called “Princeton offense” became trendy in coaching circles following this win and had a major impact on both college basketball and the NBA in the following years. –Phillips

#10 Tyus Edney Stuns Missouri on the Way to a Title for UCLA (1995)

This one hurt me. I was a junior at Missouri when this game happened, and getting ready to return to campus (after Spring Break) the next day to celebrate a huge victory over #1 UCLA. Then Tyus Edney went the distance in 4.8 seconds. I see that hanging shot in my nightmares. –Lisk

#9 Keith Smart Jumper Sinks Syracuse

The last national championship my alma mater won came in 1987 when Keith Smart knocked down a baseline jumper with five seconds left. The shot gave the Hoosiers their final margin over Syracuse 74-73. That Indiana team had several bigger stars on it, like Steve Alford, Daryl Thomas, Rick Calloway and Dean Garrett. But Smart, a junior college transfer in his first year with the Hoosiers, cemented the school’s fifth national title and gave Bobby Knight his third.

The 1987 championship season famously followed the 1986 campaign detailed in John Feinstein’s book “A Season on the Brink” and served as validation that Knight was still among the nation’s best coaches. Smart’s shot sealed the deal on his legacy. –Phillips

#8 Gordon Hayward misses half court shot for Title, barely

How close was this? About three inches. Butler was just three inches from pulling off the greatest Cinderella run in college basketball history. But Hayward’s half-court heave just missed the mark, and big, bad Duke took home the title. The Bulldogs were playing what was essentially a home game in downtown Indianapolis. I was in Indy for the game, and it was pure pandemonium. It felt like everyone in the country outside of Durham was pulling for Butler. And in the end, Brad Stevens, Hayward, and their Bulldogs almost made it happen. –Phillips

#7 Bryce Drew Hits the Winner After a Great Play Design (1998)

This is probably the most perfectly designed full-court, last-second play in the history of the tournament. Valparaiso head coach Homer Drew mocked up a play for his son Bryce, who knocked down a 3-pointer. The shot gave 13th-seeded Valpo a win over fourth-seeded Ole Miss 70-69 in the opening round of the tournament. The Crusaders would make a memorable run to the Sweet 16 that year. –Phillips

#6 Mario Chalmers Saves Kansas with 3-pointer to Send Title Game to Overtime

The 2008 NCAA Tournament’s final game went down to the wire and Kansas point guard Mario Chalmers etched his name in basketball history with this shot. Memphis, an extremely poor free throw shooting team, was fouled often by the Jayhawks down the stretch and the Tigers obliged by missing four of their last five from the line. With the score 63-60, Chalmers brought the ball up and nailed a 3-pointer with just 2.1 seconds left to send it to overtime. Kansas went on to win 75-68 in the extra frame. Chalmers’ shot was an absolute dagger for Memphis, and the Jayhawks dominated a dejected Tigers squad in OT. –Phillips

#5 Freshman Michael Jordan Hits Shot, and Fred Brown throws ball to James Worthy for Dean’s Title (1982)

On a team filled with stars, it was Michael Jordan who stepped up and made the clutch play. Then, you add in that Sleepy Floyd Fred Brown immediately followed it with one of the gaffes of Finals history (Webber knocked him off the top spot), when he turned and threw the ball to an out-of-position James Worthy as Georgetown tried to get their own game winner. –Lisk

#4 Kris Jenkins Trails Behind, Brings Down the Confetti as Villanova Wins Title (2016)

This immediately has to go near the top of any list of great tournament moments. Jenkins hit a 3-pointer to win a title, how can you top that? After Marcus Paige had made an absurd, off-balance, double-pumped three to tie things, Jenkins nailed a long trey of his own less than five seconds later. It was arguably the best finish to an NCAA title game ever. –Phillips

#3 NC State Wins It on the Dunk by Lorenzo Charles (1983)

I remember watching this on a small television with a dial in my living room. Phi Slamma Jamma was a huge deal, and this was the ultimate Cinderella game in a final. Not the most beautifully designed final sequence, but as things had done all tournament, they worked out for Jim Valvano’s Wolfpack. –Lisk

#2 Chris Webber Calls Timeout and Gets Technical to End Michigan’s Chance for Title (1993)

Oh, Chris, what were you thinking? I watched this live and couldn’t believe what was happening. I think everyone in the country outside of Webber knew Michigan was out of timeouts and knew the consequences of calling one. With the ball and trailing 73-71, the poor kid was clearly clueless on what to do. He obviously traveled immediately, then ran down into the corner and called a timeout his team didn’t have with 12 seconds left, all but ending the game. It also robbed us of what could have been an amazing finish to a great championship game, as North Carolina got two shots and the ball. It handed the Tar Heels and Dean Smith a title, as they won 77-71. I wasn’t a Michigan fan, but I definitely wanted to cry at the result of this one. –Phillips

#1 Christian Laettner Buries Kentucky after Full-Court Pass

I hate Christian Laettner, and this is why. I’m the furthest thing from a Kentucky fan, but in the 1992 East Regional Final I was rooting so hard for “The Unforgettables.” They were a great story of a program rebuilding after hard NCAA violations thanks to a former coach’s misdeeds. As an Indiana fan, I can relate…

In what I still consider the greatest basketball game of all-time, the Wildcats led the defending national champions 103-102 with 2.1 seconds left in overtime. Duke needed to go the length of the court and score. And they did, thanks to a perfect three-quarter-court pass and Christian Laettner’s brilliance. He knocked down “The Shot” giving making him a perfect 10-for-10 from the field, and giving him 31 points and seven rebounds for the game. Despite my disappointment at the result, it’s hard not to still be impressed by Laettner’s one dribble, then fall-away shot hitting nothing but net in such a tense situation. Duke won 104-103 and went on to secure back-to-back national titles. –Phillips