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

2. 2016 – #11 Northern Iowa’s Paul Jesperson over #6 Texas

The most recent inclusion on this list may be the most absurd shot of these five – but it may also be one of the greatest shots in NCAA Tournament history, courtesy of a halfcourt heave that would set up one of the most tumultuous double-digit seed runs ever in March Madness.

The Texas Longhorns were an oddity coming into the 2015-16 season, having just fired 17-year head coach Rick Barnes before poaching up-and-comer Shaka Smart from VCU.  Their immediate results showcased some of the rockiness that would follow Smart throughout his tenure at Texas, as the Longhorns would start the year 2-3 – but a mid-December win against eventual national runner-ups North Carolina, as well as a handful of wins over NCAA Tournament teams in Big 12 play – including West Virginia, Iowa State, Baylor, and eventual Final Four participant Oklahoma – had the Longhorns ranked by the end of the regular season.

Northern Iowa, meanwhile, scraped and clawed to reach the NCAA Tournament, stringing together one of the most impressive runs in Missouri Valley Conference tournament history.  The Panthers appeared to be a mid-major darling early on in the season, having also defeated UNC and Iowa State – but a skid across December and January that saw UNI win just five games in a 15-game stretch put the Panthers’ season in jeopardy.

What proceeded was a quick and impressive turnaround, with UNI coasting to win 12 of their next 13 games, including three narrow victories in the MVC Tournament – the championship game, of which, was won by a Wes Washpun buzzer-beater at the top of the key over Evansville.

With bizarrely similar wins on their resume, it appeared as if this duel would actually be a thrilling high-major/mid-major battle – and it delivered.  The Panthers were led on offense by four different double-digit scorers, with Washpun spearheading their production with 14.2 points and 5.3 assists – but it was defense that the Panthers prided themselves on, ranking 19th in the nation in points per game allowed at 64.0.  Texas, meanwhile, featured eventual NBA player Isaiah Taylor as their star – and, similarly, found great success on the defensive end, limiting teams to just 68.3 points per game, which ranked 86th in the nation.

What followed was a game of unusual runs and a tale of two halves, kicked off by a quick 7-0 run by Texas to start – which, within 10 minutes, was eviscerated by a 33-10 run from the Panthers that gave UNI a dominant 16-point lead.  The Longhorns, however, refused to go away, as a Javan Felix three-pointer cut UNI’s lead to single-digits before the halftime buzzer – and gave Texas the boost to begin the second half on a 16-3 run to capture a six-point lead.

Constant back-and-forth lead changes would follow, with four different Panthers logging double-digits and Taylor orchestrating Texas’ offense behind a game-high 22 points – but a Prince Ibeh free-throw with 45 seconds left, which would put Texas ahead by one, would set up the thrills that would then ensue.

The Panthers would be able to reclaim the lead 20 seconds later, courtesy of a Klint Carlson layup – and a missed jumper from Taylor on the following possession would force Texas to foul.  That decision seemed to work in the Longhorns’ favor, as Washpun – a 72.0% FT shooter – went 1-2 from the line, giving Texas an opportunity.  A quick, contested drive and floater from Taylor would knot things up with 2.7 seconds left – and, with UNI’s Ben Jacobson opting not to use his final timeout, provided the backdrop for Paul Jesperson to become a March legend.

Back-to-back buzzer-beaters in the span of 12 days in survive-and-advance situations made Northern Iowa a Cinderella darling in March Madness and helped give credence to the Panthers’ status as one of the more prolific mid-majors in the country.

A few days later, however, destiny played a historically cruel hand against Northern Iowa, as the Panthers – who were primed to reach just their second Sweet Sixteen as a Div. I institution – relinquished a 10-point lead with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation to Texas A&M, and eventually fell in double-overtime, bringing an end to the Panthers’ thrilling run.