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

4. 2003 – #6 Maryland’s Drew Nicholas over #11 UNC-Wilmington

It is easy to forget that the Terrapins’ title defense in 2003 was almost ended immediately – but the heroics that went into ensuring Maryland’s survival against the upset-hungry Seahawks have certainly stood the test of time.

UNC-Wilmington was one of the more dangerous mid-majors in the nation during the 2002-03 season, having fared well against Texas Tech in the Seahawks’ season-opener in a single-digit loss, as well as defeating a few 20-win squads such as East Tennessee State and the College of Charleston.  But a nine-game winning streak to end the season – which included routing Hofstra, Delaware, and Drexel in the CAA Tournament – propelled then-first-year head coach Brad Brownell’s crew to March Madness with the utmost confidence.

The Terrapins, on the other hand, were a different beast – but one that had to deal with significant departures from the 2001-02 squad that went 32-4 and won the National Championship over Indiana.  Maryland’s top four leading scorers from that squad – including 20-point scorer Juan Dixon – were gone, with eventual NBA Draft selection Steve Blake serving as the top returning leading scorer at just eight points a game, which complimented Blake’s identical mark at eight assists per tilt.

Despite the roster losses, the Terrapins still thrived in the regular season and impressed against the handful of ranked teams that they faced, ranking from dismantling both Duke and Wake Forest, as well as narrow defeats to Indiana, Florida, and both aforementioned ACC teams.  However, just as UNC-Wilmington was entering the NCAA Tournament full of confidence from an extensive win streak, the Terrapins faced a different edge, courtesy of dropping their regular-season finale and their lone duel in the ACC Tournament.

What followed was a duel of two teams on different trajectories – but one with theatrics that went against the season’s norms.  The opening half saw a hailstorm of offense from the Terrapins, with shooting clips of 62.1% (FG) and 66.7% (3PT) giving Maryland what should have been a dominant lead – but one that was just a five-point differential.  Clinging onto the hope of an upset, the Seahawks came out firing in the second half, with John Goldsberry drilling eight three-pointers to eventually lead all scorers with 26 points.

With a narrow four-point edge with just 42 seconds remaining, it appeared as if UNC-Wilmington would put an abrupt halt to the Terrapins’ title defense – but a quick back-and-forth lead change put Maryland behind just one after a pair of Aaron Coombs free-throws gave the Seahawks a 73-72 edge.

What proceeded was one of the more frantic moments in opening round history, where Maryland’s Drew Nicholas – who led the Terrapins in scoring with 22 points – went wing-to-wing with five seconds on the clock and drained a game-winning three-point basket over the extended arm of the Seahawks’ Anthony Terrell.

Nicholas’ shot had all of the thrill-inducing theatrics needed to appropriately kick off Maryland’s quest to defend its national championship – the nature of his off-balanced, leaning shot, Ryan Randle’s leaps of celebration, and Hall of Fame coach Gary Williams, somehow, finding a way to be angry on the sidelines.

The shot would allow Maryland’s season to survive yet another week, as the Terrapins would cruise past Xavier in the next round, before falling to Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen after another potential buzzer-beating game-winning shot – this time from Steve Blake – clanked off the back-iron and bounced away.