March Madness 2021: Top 10 moments from NCAA Tournament
By Adam Childs
10. Reese’s buzzer-beating three
Alabama was unranked and largely unnoticed entering the season. Early season losses did nothing to change that mindset. But then they figured things out and started to win.
Not only were they winning they were blowing teams out. They were an offensive machine who also had the top defender in the SEC and maybe country in Herbert Jones. Nate Oates had his team playing at a high level and ranked inside the top five.
They had a legitimate argument for a top seed but settled for the second seed in a very winnable East Region. Michigan was the top seed, but many thought they could beat them.
The only problem was someone forgot to tell that to UCLA. The Bruins after getting down early looked every bit as good as the Crimson Tide and led by three with just three seconds left in their Sweet 16 game.
Alabama had the ball underneath their basket when this happened.
Alex Reese nailed a game-tying buzzer-beating three from the mid-court log and sent the game to overtime. Unfortunately for Alabama fans, the celebration would be short-lived as the Bruins dominated overtime, but for that short bit, it was euphoria for the Crimson Tide and at the time the biggest shot in the tournament.