Loading...
March Madness is the stage for drama, heartbreak and unforgettable moments on the hardwood. Nothing captures the sheer magic of the NCAA Tournament quite like a buzzer-beater. While March has delivered an overwhelming number of special buzzer-beaters (and we’re thankful for that), the ones deeper in the tournament, when the stakes are at their highest, become the stuff of legend. From stunning upsets to championship-winning daggers, check out the top 10 greatest March Madness buzzer-beaters of all time.
No. 8 seed Wisconsin was riding high after knocking off No. 1 Villanova, but Florida’s Chris Chiozza had other plans. Down 83-81 with just four seconds left, Chiozza raced up the floor and launched an off-balance floater from beyond the arc as time expired. Swish. The Gators moved on to the Elite Eight in stunning fashion.
Most championship teams had a close call at some point during their run, and for eventual title-winner UCLA, it came in the second round against Mizzou. With 4.8 seconds left and UCLA trailing by one, Edney sprinted the length of the floor, weaving through defenders before laying in a game-winning shot at the horn. The Bruins survived and went on to win the national championship.
The final possession of this battle was absolute chaos. UConn, down one, under the hand of Hall-of-Fame coach Jim Calhoun, made the smart move to attack the hoop with 10 seconds left. UConn threw up multiple attempts and the ball was tipped around before the ball finally landed in Richard “Rip” Hamilton’s hands. In one fluid motion, he faded away from just inside the free-throw line and drained the shot as time expired. The Huskies lived to fight another day, eliminating the other Huskies (Washington) in heartbreaking fashion.
Trey Burke, the National Player of the Year, put the Wolverines on his back with a deep, contested three to force overtime against No. 1 seed Kansas. Burke’s 30-footer silenced the Jayhawks and propelled Michigan to an 87-85 OT win. The Wolverines rode the momentum all the way to the national title game before falling to Louisville.
With San Diego State trailing by one and the national championship game on the line, Lamont Butler refused to call timeout. Instead, he took the ball coast-to-coast, danced along the baseline, pulled up from midrange, and buried a dagger at the buzzer to send SDSU to its first-ever title game. Even though Butler wears Kentucky threads in 2025, his moment is forever etched in Aztecs history.
UCLA had battled its way from the First Four to the Final Four, but Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs delivered the final blow. With three seconds left in OT and the game tied at 90, Suggs raced past half court and launched a prayer off the glass that banked in as time expired. The Zags went wild, keeping their perfect, unbeaten season alive, securing a spot in the title game before falling to Baylor.
Kansas had hit only two three-pointers all game, until Mario Chalmers stepped up. With Memphis leading by three in the final seconds, point guard Sherron Collins scrambled up the court, almost lost his handle and got the pass off to Chalmers, who drained a game-tying triple to force OT. The Jayhawks dominated the extra period, winning their third national title.
This isn’t just a buzzer-beater, it’s The Shot. With 2.1 seconds left in OT, Grant Hill launched a perfect full-court pass to Christian Laettner, who caught it at the free-throw line, faked, turned and buried a turnaround jumper. Duke advanced to the Final Four, and Laettner’s all-time collegiate career became cemented in March Madness lore.
The ultimate Cinderella story needed a storybook ending, and NC State’s Lorenzo Charles delivered. As the clock ticked to zero, a desperation heave from Dereck Whittenburg fell short, only for Charles to catch it in midair and dunk it home. NC State stunned No. 1 Houston, and Jim Valvano’s iconic celebration became one of the most legendary moments in sports history.
The perfect ending to the perfect championship game. Just seconds after UNC’s Marcus Paige hit a ridiculous game-tying three, Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono pushed up the floor and dished to Kris Jenkins, who calmly stepped into a deep three and buried it at the buzzer. Ballgame. Villanova won its second-ever title, and Jenkins’ shot remains the gold standard of March Madness buzzer-beaters.
Zach has been a published sports writer since 2018 specializing in college football & basketball, MLB and NFL content for multiple publications.