The 10 Greatest 3-pointers in NCAA Tournament History

1. The Hook and Ladder

Scene: First-round game, Oklahoma City, 1998
Time remaining: 2.5 seconds
Score: Ole Miss 69, Valparaiso 67
Situation: Ansu Sesay went to the free-throw line with a chance to seal a win for third-seeded Ole Miss with 4.1 seconds to go, but missed both attempts. After the second miss, an Ole Miss player tapped the ball out of bounds fighting for the rebound.
The shot: Using a basketball-version of the hook-and-ladder play - which coach Homer Drew had taken from the Indiana Pacers - Valpo's Jamie Sykes fired a long inbounds pass to Bill Jenkins near midcourt. Jenkins got the ball to a running Bryce Drew (Homer's son), who drained a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Crusaders their first NCAA Tournament win in school history. The Crusaders upset Florida State in the second round before falling to Rhode Island in the Sweet 16.
Final score: Valparaiso 70, Ole Miss 69
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2. The Shot

Scene: NCAA title game, Charlotte, 1994
Time remaining: 53 seconds
Score: Duke 70, Arkansas 70
Situation: Arkansas called a timeout after a Grant Hill 3-pointer tied the game with 1:30 remaining. The Hogs were having trouble finding an open shot on the ensuing possession when Corey Beck drove left and fired a pass to a wide-open Dwight Stewart at the top of the key.
The shot: Stewart bobbled the ball, then fired a pass to Scotty Thurman with the shot clock approaching zero. With Duke's Antonio Lang running at Thurman, the Arkansas junior fired up a high-arcing 3-pointer that sailed through the hoop as the shot-clock buzzer sounded. The Hogs held on for the first national title in school history.
Final score: Arkansas 76, Duke 72
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3. Coast-to-Coast Magic

Scene: Sweet 16, Denver, 1996
Time Remaining: 5 seconds
Score: Georgia 81, Syracuse 80 OT
Situation: In a game that was already loaded with thrilling shots, including a fadeaway jumper from Syracuse's Jason Cipolla at the end of regulation that forced overtime, Georgia's Pertha Robinson nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner to give the Bulldogs an 81-80 lead.
The shot: Syracuse chose not to call a timeout as power forward John Wallace took the inbounds and raced up court. Wallace weaved his way through traffic and hit a leaning jumper with a foot on the 3-point line and 2.8 seconds remaining. Even though Syracuse needed only two points to go ahead, the Orangemen were awarded three. Syracuse went on to reach the NCAA title game where it lost to Kentucky.
Final score: Syracuse 83, Georgia 81 OT

4. The Comeback

Scene: Elite Eight, Chicago, 2005
Time Remaining: 46 seconds
Score: Arizona 80, Illinois 77
Situation: Top-seeded Illinois, which had stormed back from a 15-point deficit with four minutes remaining, came up with a key steal when Jack Ingram deflected Arizona's inbounds pass to Luther Head.
The shot: Dee Brown took a pass from Head and fired the ball to Deron Williams on the right side. Using a pick from Ingram to get open, Williams dribbled left and drilled a 3-pointer - his fourth in the final nine minutes - to tie the game and cap one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA Tournament history. The Illini pulled out a win in overtime and went on to reach the NCAA title game, where they lost to a top-seeded North Carolina team that featured four NBA lottery picks.
Final score: Illinois 90, Arizona 89 OT
The play

5. Miracle in Milwaukee

Scene: Second-round game, Milwaukee, 1992
Time Remaining: 0.8 seconds
Score: USC 78, Georgia Tech 76
Situation: USC's Rodney Chatman hit a short jumper to put the Trojans up by two points with 2.2 seconds remaining. Georgia Tech's Jon Barry then had the ball knocked out of his hands and out of bounds near midcourt by a USC player.
The shot: With Tech in danger of getting a five-second call, Matt Geiger fired the ball to freshman James Forrest - who had not hit a 3-pointer all season - in the corner. Forrest heaved up a 22-footer that swished through the net as the buzzer sounded.
Final score: Georgia Tech 79, USC 78
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6. Like Father, Like Son

Scene: Elite Eight, East Rutherford, N.J., 2004
Time Remaining: 29 seconds
Score: St. Joseph's 62, Oklahoma State 61
Situation: After Oklahoma State's John Lucas III - the son of the former No. 1 NBA draft pick - made a clutch jumper to put the Cowboys up 61-59, St. Joseph's Pat Carroll answered with a 3-pointer that gave the Hawks a one-point edge.
The shot: Lucas dribbled to the left wing and passed to Joey Graham at the top of the key. As Graham went to dribble left, he slipped and momentarily lost the ball. Lucas' defender dove for it, but Graham snatched the ball first and fired it to a wide-open Lucas, who hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 6.9 seconds remaining that sent the Cowboys to the Final Four.
Final score: Oklahoma State 64, St. Joseph's 62
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7. Four Times a Charm

Scene: Elite Eight, Austin, Texas, 2004
Time Remaining: 12 seconds
Score: Michigan State 75, Kentucky 72
Situation: A pair of free throws from Michigan State's Shannon Brown put the Spartans up by three points. Kentucky then got the ball across half court and called a timeout.
The shot: A badly missed 3-pointer by Kentucky's Kelenna Azubuike glanced off the front of the rim and bounced to teammate Patrick Sparks at the top of the key. Sparks, who had just air-balled a 3-pointer seconds earlier, set his feet near the 3-point line and jumped into Michigan State's Kelvin Torbert as he launched a shot that hit the rim four times before falling in at the buzzer. The officials reviewed the play for five minutes before deciding Sparks' right foot was behind the 3-point line. Despite the controversial shot, the Spartans prevailed in overtime.
Final score: Michigan State 94, Kentucky 88 OT
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8. Back-to-Back Barry

Scene: Second Round, Lincoln, Neb., 1988
Time Remaining: 12 seconds
Score: Pittsburgh 67, Vanderbilt 63
Situation: Pittsburgh's Jason Matthews hit a pair of free throws to put the heavily favored Panthers up by four points.
The Shot: Vanderbilt's Barry Goheen took the inbounds pass, raced up court and nailed a 3-pointer from the left side of the top of the key, cutting the Panthers' lead to 67-66 with six seconds remaining. Vanderbilt's Will Perdue quickly fouled Charles Smith, who hit a pair of free throws to put the Panthers up 69-66. Goheen took the inbounds pass again, dribbled up court and pulled up for a 25-footer that swished through the net as the buzzer sounded. Vandy went on to pull off the upset in overtime.
Final score: Vanderbilt 80, Pittsburgh 74 OT

9. Buckeyes stay alive

Scene: Second Round, Lexington, Ky., 2007
Time Remaining: 9.3 seconds
Score: Xavier 62, Ohio State 59
Situation: With No. 9-seeded Xavier leading top-seeded Ohio State 61-59, the Musketeers' Justin Cage pulled down a rebound and got fouled hard by Ohio State star Greg Oden. It was Oden's fifth foul and sent Cage to the line for two attempts. He made the first, but the second rattled around the rim and fell off the front of the basket.
The Shot: With no Muskeeters positioned on the block, Ron Lewis grabbed the rebound with ease and dished to Mike Conley Jr.. Conley quickly got the ball across half court. He then cut left near the top of the key and dropped a pass to his left for a streaking Lewis, who took one dribble to his right before hitting a 23-footer that tied the game at 62 with two seconds remaining. The Buckeyes went on to win without Oden in the extra period and reached the championship game, where they fell to defending champion Florida.
Final score: Ohio State 78, Xavier 71 OT
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10. Terps' Prayer is Answered

Scene: First-round, Nashville, 2003
Time Remaining: 5 seconds
Score: UNC-Wilmington 73, Maryland 72
Situation: UNC-Wilmington's Aaron Combs made two free throws to give the No. 6-seeded Seahawks a one-point lead over the defending national champion Terps.
The Shot: Maryland's Drew Nicholas dribbled the length of the court, leapt into the air off one foot and fired up a desperation 3-pointer with a defender just inches away. The ball hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, sending Nicholas racing to the locker room. The Terps avoided being becoming the first defending national champ since UCLA in 1996 to lose in the first round.
Final score: Maryland 75, UNC-Wilmington 73
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The 5 Greatest non-NCAA Tournament 3-pointers

1. Capel's Prayer

Scene: Durham, N.C., Cameron Indoor Stadium, 1995
Time Remaining: 3 seconds
Score: North Carolina 95, Duke 92 OT
Situation: North Carolina's Serge Zwikker stepped to the free-throw line with a chance to seal a Tar Heels' win, but his attempt glanced off the right side of the rim and fell into the hands of Duke's Cherokee Parks.
The Shot: Parks quickly passed the ball to Jeff Capel, who raced upcourt with out any opposition - the rest of the Tar Heels were pulled off the free-throw line. Capel took two long steps across the half-court line and let fly a 35-footer on the run that found the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounded. The Tar Heels went on to win in the second overtime, but it is considered one of the greatest games ever, largely because of the miraculous shot.
Final Score: North Carolina 102, Duke 100 2 OT

2. The Law Won

Scene: College Station, Texas, Reed Arena, 2006
Time Remaining: 3 seconds
Score: No. 7 Texas 43, Texas A&M 43
Situation: With Texas A&M in desperate need of a big win to bolster its NCAA Tournament résumé, Texas' P.J. Tucker dribbled the ball around the perimeter as the shot clock expired. The Longhorns then quickly fouled Acie Law and the Aggies called a timeout.
The Shot: Texas A&M's Chris Walker threw the inbounds pass to Law, who got free with a crossover dribble and drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The win secured a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament and propelled the Aggies to their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1987.
Final score: Texas A&M 46, Texas 43
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3. McNamiracle

Scene: New York City, Madison Square Garden, Big East Tournament 2006
Time Remaining: 6 seconds
Score: Cincinnati 73, Syracuse 71
Situation: With an NCAA Tournament bid likely up for grabs for Cincinnati and Syracuse, the Bearcats' Devan Downey stole an inbounds pass and was fouled. Downey made the first free throw and missed the second.
The Shot: Gerry McNamara dribbled the length of the court, weaved in between a pair of defenders and launched a runner from the top of the key over the outstretched hand of Eric Hicks that went in with 0.5 seconds remaining. The Orange - thanks to many more heroics from McNamara - went on to become the lowest seed ever to win the Big East Tournament and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Final score: Syracuse 74, Cincinnati 73
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4. Great Scott

Scene: Atlanta, Alexander Memorial Coliseum, 1989
Time Remaining: 5 seconds
Score: North Carolina 74, Georgia Tech 73
Situation: With North Carolina up 74-71, Georgia Tech's Karl Brown made a pair of free throws, cutting the Tar Heels' lead to one point.
The Shot: Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott stole the ball from UNC's Scott Williams on the left side of the court, turned around and hit a deep 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to give the Jackets a stunning upset.
Final score: Georgia Tech 76, North Carolina 74
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5. Triple-Overtime Theatrics

Scene: Stillwater, Okla., Gallagher-Iba Arena, 2007
Time Remaining: 10.5 seconds
Score: No. 21 Texas 103, No. 12 Oklahoma State 102 3 OT
Situation: Texas freshman phenom Kevin Durant - who would go on to win consensus national player of the year honors - got fouled while making a putback and then hit the free throw to give the Longhorns a one-point lead.
The Shot: Oklahoma State's Mario Boggan caught the inbounds pass at midcourt, dribbled up the left side and stopped at the arc where he was met by a double team. Texas' D.J. Augustin pulled away from Boggan, creating an opening for the senior forward to bury a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining. That clinched a win for the Cowboys and put an end to one of the greatest games in Big 12 history. Durant and Boggan each finished with a career-high 37 points.
Final score: Oklahoma State 105, Texas 103 3OT
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