The Top 5 NCAA Tournament Buzzer Beaters of All-Time

What is the obsession with March Madness? How is that people who are not even basketball fans, reschedule their lives for a month of basketball. It is not the basketball that attracts us. It is the struggle of the underdog, the pursuit of excellence, and the memories it leaves us. The greatest of these memories are always the game winners. Where exhilarating victory and the crushing defeat are separated only by a scorer's table. Here are my top 5 Buzzer Beaters of all time.

5. 1998 Opening Round, 13 Valparaiso Crusaders vs. 4 Mississippi "Ole Miss" Rebels

With 21 seconds left Mississippi led 69 to 67. Mississippi guard Flanagan misses a short jumper that could have sent them up by four. Valparaiso tracks down the rebound with 14 seconds left. They get the ball to their play maker Bryce Drew. Drew is the son of head coach Homer Drew. Drew shoots a three ball from the left side with 7 seconds left. The ball bounces off the rim and falls in to the waiting hands of Ansu Sesay, Mississippi's Senior Center. Well that is it folks, Sesay is quickly fouled and walks the length of the court for his 1 and 1 attempt. Sesay who is a 74% foul shooter walks to the line, only 4 seconds remaining even if he misses. Valpo is out of timeouts so if he does miss they must get the rebound, go the length of the court and make the shot. No Chance right? Wrong. Sesay misses his free throw and the ball is tipped out of bounds by Old Miss. 2.5 on the clock and Valpo takes the ball out. Jamie Sykes with a man in his face attempts a pass the length of the court from the baseline. The pass travels into a mass of players trying to catch the ball just past half court. The ball is tipped into the grasp of Senior Bill Jenkins. Jenkins touch passes the ball to Bryce Drew who is running to the right side of the arch. He rushes a quick release. GOOD, the building explodes as Drew takes a belly flop and is mobbed by teammates. By degree of difficulty and improbability, this may be the greatest shot in tournament history, but it came in the first round. So for that reason it's number 5.

4. 1995 Second Round, 1 UCLA Bruins vs. 8 Missouri Tigers

The ball came deep underneath to Missouri forward Julian Winfield. Winfield had cut to the hoop and UCLA was in bad position defensively and conceded a layup to Winfield and the Tigers. That shot put Mizzu up 74-73 with only 4.5 seconds remaining. Tyus Edney received the inbound pass only a few feet from his own basket, then he took off. In a full sprint he charged past half court with Missouri trying to pressure the ball out of his hands. Edney would have no of that. He spun a behind the back dribble and switched direction to the right. He surged down the lane and in traffic took an awkward right handed layup/hook. While the ball floated over Mizzu defenders the horn sounds. The ball bounces off the backboard and threw the rim. The Bruins advanced to the Sweet 16 and would later win the tournament.

3. 1981 Second Round, 5 Arkansas Razorbacks vs. 4 Louisville Cardinals

With the defending champion Cardinals just taking the lead 71 to 73 came the most discombobulated 5 seconds of tournament history. Arkansas's U.S. Reed received the inbound pass with 5 seconds to go and seemed lost. He started towards half court into a waiting trap of two Louisville players. He could have passed to an open teammate but instead kept dribbling. He dribbled left and then back to his right. Time clicked down to 2 seconds and Reed had not even passed half court yet. So instead of passing Reed throws a prayer from half court. The ball was heaved more than it was shot and when it finally came down it can only be described as splashing through the net. Louisville's defense had gotten what they wanted, an ugly heave with a defender in Reed's face. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Arkansas would be destroyed by LSU the following week but the shot has lived on.

2. Elite Eight, 1 Duke Blue-Devils vs. 2 Kentucky Wildcats

Overtime, Kentucky up 103 to 102. You have seen this shot. Everyone has seen this shot. With 2.1 left, Grant Hill takes the ball out at the baseline and rockets a perfect strike to Christian Laettner standing at the opposite free throw line. Laettner with his back to the basket fakes left, dribbles once, and spins to his right. He fires falling away from the right side of the free throw line. The shot is good. I have seen this shot so many times that I forget how improbable it was to even get the pass to Laettner, let alone him making the game winner. The best part is after the shot falls here comes Duke's Thomas Hill crying like a baby. I have never seen a man cry like that in victory since, and I hope I never do again.

1. 1983 National Title Game, 6 North Carolina State Wolfpack Vs. 1 Houston Cougars

Coach Jim Valvano's NC State had lived a charmed life in the 1983 Tournament. Entering the Tournament as a 6 seed they had already beat #1 Virginia in the Sweet 16 and #4 Georgia in the Final Four. Now they had the Phi Slamma Jamma Houston Cougars led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. The Cougars where the Number 1 overall seed in the tournament and had dismantled every other team they had played in the tournament. Well with 44 seconds left here was NC State tied with the unstoppable Houston juggernaut 52-52. Coming out of a timeout NC State had the ball. The Cougars came out aggressive and applied a half court. The trap gave NC State all types of problems, almost turning the ball over twice in the last possession. With the trap on, North Carolina State had drained the clock to only 4 seconds. A pass to Dereck Whittenburg was almost stolen again but he was able to coral it in and fire a three, 12 feet behind the line. The ball fell short and missed the rim completely but Lorenzo Charles caught the miss and flushed the game winner home for the wolfpack. The pandemonium that fallowed will always be remembered not just for the tournament but as a celebration of Coach Valvono's incredible life. Jim Valvono died 10 years later from Cancer. Every year since his death you can watch these highlights during ESPN's charity event for the V Foundation. They will also replay Valvano's speech from Espys right before he died. The message he conveyed was one his team had always lived. "Don't give up, don't ever give up", they never did. They were the little engine that could. Cinderella had left the ball with a National Championship in hand.

Sources ESPN