March Madness: The five best shots of the Big Dance

1. Zak Showalter & Chris Chiozza (Florida vs. Wisconsin)

While one clutch shot in a game is fantastic, it was fitting that the only overtime game of the tournament featured two.

Both Zak Showalter and Chris Chiozza hit big shots for their teams in Florida’s 84-83 victory over Wisconsin.

The game itself was exciting, featuring 10 lead changes and a valiant comeback effort by Wisconsin. Wisconsin was able to rally from a 58-46 deficit with five minutes remaining, capped off by Zak Showalter’s huge shot.

With 18 seconds left in regulation and Wisconsin down by three, forward Nigel Hayes forced a Florida turnover. This defensive play set Wisconsin up for an inbound play, with six seconds remaining on the clock.

Hayes was able to pass the ball to Showalter, who had not taken a three-point shot all game. The defense from Chiozza was strong, forcing Showalter to muscle through and take a runner from deep.

Showalter’s awkward shot paid off, tying the game with 2.1 seconds left and sending it to overtime. Immediately after hitting the shot, Showalter turned to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and mimicked his championship belt celebration.

This may have been the biggest shot of the game, if not surpassed by Chiozza’s three.

At the end of overtime, Florida had the ball at the baseline, down by two with four seconds remaining. Chiozza took the inbound pass on Florida’s end of the floor and ran by Hayes to take a three-point runner of his own. As the buzzer sounded, Chiozza’s shot went down and Florida’s celebration commenced.

Next: The Beauty of the Tournament

While not quite the Paige-Jenkins ending that made last year’s National Championship one of the best, the two clutch shots in this game will be remembered by college basketball fans years. This is just the beauty of March.