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

3. 1998 – #13 Valparaiso’s Bryce Drew over #4 Ole Miss

One of the most well-known shots – not just in NCAA Tournament history – but in college basketball history, Bryce Drew‘s 24-foot bomb has stood the test of time and remains one of the most iconic images in the history of the game.

Standing in the way of an all-time moment were the Ole Miss Rebels, the SEC regular-season champions and the 10th-ranked team in the nation.  Led by eventual NBA player Ansu Sesay, who paced Ole Miss in scoring and rebounding with 18.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, the Rebels had cemented themselves as one of basketball’s best in 1997-98, having dismantled a few nationally ranked teams like Temple, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

But Valparaiso – spearheaded by Bryce’s father, Homer – enjoyed a turnaround season like few prior, and capitalized on a stellar end of the regular season in order to shock the world.  Having opened the 1997-98 campaign with a lackluster 10-9 record – which included a season-opening double-digit loss to eventual NAIA Div. II champion Bethel – the Crusaders roared back valiantly to make their astonishing NCAA Tournament appearance possible, rallying for 11-straight wins to close out the regular season and win the Mid-Continent Conference (which would soon become the Summit League) championship.

These two squads were well-oiled offensive machines – the Crusaders ranked in the top 65 nationally in 2P%, 3P%, and FT%, while the Rebels maintained a 40th-best 37.5% clip from long-range and top-ten marks in both free-throws made (18.7) and attempted (28.7).  Ole Miss’ ability to produce from the line and score at an efficient rate from beyond the arc made the Rebels deadly, with an offense that ranked 20th in the nation in points per game at 80.5 – nearly seven points better than Valparaiso’s mark of 73.9 points.

With those statistics in mind, it appeared as if the Rebels would be victorious with little effort – but the Crusaders never put themselves in a position to be dominated from the opening tip.  Trailing by just four at halftime, Valparaiso used Ole Miss’ best weapon – its offense – against the Rebels, recording a significantly better shooting percentage from inside the arc, as well as making just one less free-throw than the Rebels.

In wake of the Crusaders’ offensive onslaught, the Rebels were forced to use utilize an outside game, which paid off – a 47.6% clip and a 4-7 mark for Keith Carter, who paced Ole Miss in points (22) and rebounds (11) kept the Rebels in the game.

That set up a finale that continues to be remembered 23 years later, and deservedly so.  With Ole Miss clinging onto a 69-67 lead, Drew actually had two opportunities to snatch the victory – but the first, a three-pointer with under five seconds left, clanked off the front iron and into the hands of Sesay, who was fouled – and, despite being a 73% shooter from the line, subsequently missed both free-throws that would have either iced the game or put the Rebels up three.

After a tip out of bounds gave Valparaiso the ball with just two and a half seconds left, the ensuing sequence captured college basketball’s heart and has now held onto it for over two decades.

Few moments in college basketball have felt as perfect as Drew’s buzzer-beater – the on-point pass from Jamie Sykes, Bill Jenkins’ tip to Drew, Ted Robinson’s call, and, obviously, Drew’s bucket – which has understandably been deemed, historically, as “The Shot.”  Homer Drew’s play – known as “Pacer” – sent the Crusaders on their well-renowned Cinderella run, toppling Florida State in overtime two days later.

Although Valparaiso’s quest would come to an end a week later in the Sweet Sixteen in a narrow loss to Rhode Island, the college basketball world was just beginning to accept the Drew’s as a household name.