Busting Brackets
Fansided

March Madness: Top game-winning buzzer-beaters in Round of 64 history

By Benjamin Zacher

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 18: Paul Jesperson #4 of the Northern Iowa Panthers hits a half court three pointer at the buzzer to defeat the Texas Longhorns with a score of 75 to 72 during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena on March 18, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 18: Paul Jesperson #4 of the Northern Iowa Panthers hits a half court three pointer at the buzzer to defeat the Texas Longhorns with a score of 75 to 72 during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena on March 18, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
March Madness
March Madness Adam Woodbury Iowa Hawkeyes (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

It is no secret that the NCAA Tournament may arguably be the most riveting, thrill-inducing event in any sport.  Filled with excitement, heartbreak, and unthinkable moments, March Madness has fulfilled its duty as the perfect capstone to a grinding regular season, ever since the tournament’s inception in 1939 and its eventual ascension to television in the 1960s.

Obviously, there are – and have been – numerous different events that have led to NCAA Tournament games being memorable, but none may be as special as the buzzer-beater.

According to Sports Reference, there have been 126 game-winning buzzer-beaters – or shots made with two seconds or fewer – in the history of the NCAA Tournament, from Jalen Suggs’ half-court heave to catapult Gonzaga to the 2021 NCAA Championship game to Herb Wilkinson’s 20-footer that gave Utah the 1944 NCAA title over Dartmouth.

Since the NCAA’s adoption in 1993-94 of stopping the clock automatically during late-game situations, March Madness has seen 20 games determined by a shot at the horn, and 36 others by shots made with or less than two seconds remaining.

Since Larry Blades’ unassisted shot in 1956 to put Dartmouth past West Virginia, the opening round has accounted for at least 48 game-winning buzzer-beaters – or shots made with two or fewer seconds left – – and a handful of the most iconic buckets in NCAA Tournament history have come straight from the first round.  At least 19 of those shots have come at the buzzer, with the most recent coming in 2016, with Adam Woodbury’s put-back after an airball jumper sent Iowa to the second round over Temple.

This piece will begin a series of “top five game-winning buzzer-beaters per round” lists.  For transparency’s sake, only games decided by a shot at the buzzer will be considered for these lists – unless there are not enough games to make five entries.  With at least 19 buckets coming at the horn in the opening round, there have decidedly been enough possibilities to choose from – and enough thrills to enjoy.

Home/March Madness