Top 10 March Madness Buzzer Beaters

It's March Madness time, where anything can happen. There have been some insane buzzer-beater shots throughout the history of the tournament. One defining moment, a shot that forever changes the trajectory of the tournament and a program, can define a legacy.

Here are some of the most iconic buzzer beaters. This list only counts NCAA Tournament games. Conference tournament and regular-season games do not count.

The Top Ten

  1. Kris Jenkins (Villanova) 2016 National Championship

    Kris Jenkins is most known for hitting the biggest buzzer beater in NCAA Tournament history. Every kid who loves basketball dreams of hitting the game-winning buzzer beater shot in the Championship, and Jenkins did it.

    Marcus Paige of UNC had just hit a ridiculous, off-balance 3-pointer of his own to tie the game at 74. The Villanova Wildcats then inbounded quickly to Ryan Arcidiacono, who pushed the ball upcourt and found Jenkins at the left wing. Jenkins caught it in rhythm, rose up, and launched a deep 3-pointer to win the game and secure Villanova's first National Championship since 1985. This is arguably the greatest moment in college basketball in the last 20 years.

  2. Christian Laettner (Duke) 1992 Elite Eight

    Christian Laettner, one of the most iconic legends of March Madness, was the one behind "The Shot" in the 1992 Elite Eight against Kentucky. It is largely considered one of the greatest basketball games ever played.

    The top-seeded Blue Devils trailed the #2 seed Wildcats 103-102 in overtime in the final seconds. Duke's Grant Hill launched an inbound pass to Laettner, who faked a dribble, turned around from the free-throw line, and hit the turnaround jumper with no time left, and Duke won it 104-103. Duke would eventually win the National Championship that year.

  3. Bryce Drew (Valparaiso) 1998 First Round

    Bryce Drew hit one of the more underrated buzzer beaters in tournament history in 1998. #13 Valparaiso trailed #4 Ole Miss 69-67 in the final seconds of the game. After missed free throws by Ole Miss, Valpo inbounded the ball with just 2.5 seconds remaining. Jamie Sykes inbounded to Bill Jenkins, who tipped it to Bryce Drew near midcourt. Drew caught it, took one dribble, and launched a deep 3. They advanced to the Sweet 16 that year before falling to Rhode Island. This shot is sometimes referred to as "The Shot".

  4. Lorenzo Charles (NC State) 1983 National Championship

    Lorenzo Charles is responsible for one of the most memorable moments in the history of March Madness as the one who sealed the fate of the 1983 NC State Wolfpack as National Champions. The Wolfpack launched a shot in the final seconds which was short and airballed. However, Charles was at the right place at the right time as he tipped the rebound back in to win the game. To this day, it remains one of the most improbable tournament upsets ever, as Jim Valvano rushed onto the court looking for someone to hug after the fact.

  5. Chris Chiozza (Florida) 2017 Sweet 16

    Chiozza hit one of the more insane buzzer beaters in March Madness history in an overtime battle with Wisconsin. The Gators trailed by two with just four seconds remaining after Wisconsin made free throws on the other end. The Gators inbounded the ball to Chiozza, who raced down the court to the top of the key and launched a running, off-balance floater from 3-point range in the final seconds to win the game 84-83. The Gators advanced to the Elite 8, where they fell to SEC foe South Carolina.

  6. Paul Jesperson (Northern Iowa) 2016 First Round

    This is one of the most iconic buzzer beaters in recent memory. Northern Iowa inbounded the ball with the game tied at 72 with under 3 seconds remaining. Jesperson then heaved the ball from half court, or roughly 50 feet, and it banked in off the backboard as time expired, securing #11 Northern Iowa's upset victory over Texas in the Round of 64. They would lose to Texas A&M in the Round of 32. This shot is worth mentioning as it was one of the longest buzzer beaters in tournament history, and the improbability truly defines March Madness.

  7. Donte Ingram (Loyola Chicago) 2018 First Round

    Donte Ingram is one of the heroes from Loyola Chicago's magical 2018 tournament run. There was more than one buzzer beater, but this one in particular set the Cinderella run in motion.

    The #11 seed Ramblers trailed 62-61 in the final seconds of the game, and Ingram hit a deep 3 from the top of the key as time expired to win the game 64-62 and advance the Ramblers. The rest is history. Loyola Chicago became America's Team, going all the way to the Final Four before losing to Michigan.

  8. Jordan Poole (Michigan) 2018 Second Round

    Jordan Poole made his legacy mark on tournament history with an insane, off-balance 3-point shot against Houston. The Cougars missed several key free throws late in the game. With just 3.6 seconds left out of a timeout, Michigan brought it up and delivered the extra pass to Poole for a deep, contested, off-balance shot that went in as time expired. The Wolverines would advance all the way to the National Championship game, falling to Villanova.

  9. Bronson Koenig (Wisconsin) 2016 Second Round

    This was a classic example of a buzzer beater. Koenig hit a deep corner 3-pointer at the buzzer off a sideline inbounds pass with just two seconds left on the clock. The game was tied 63-63 at that point. His shot went in with 0.0 seconds left and sent Wisconsin to the Sweet 16, where they would ultimately fall to Notre Dame.

  10. RJ Hunter (Georgia State) 2015 First Round

    Georgia State pulls off one of the bigger March Madness upsets over Baylor in 2015 on this shot. They get the rebound off a Baylor missed free throw, and in a play with absolute chaos and not much going on, they are able to make something happen late with an RJ Hunter deep step-back 3. Coach Ron Hunter falling off his stool in reaction to his son's shot is priceless. The shot left 2.7 seconds on the clock, allowing Baylor enough time for a missed half-court attempt by Taurean Prince that ultimately sealed the 57-56 victory. They would lose to Xavier in the following round.

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