Buzzer beaters are fun. Top 10 lists are fun. And when the two are combined, the fun reaches a whole new level.
10. Derrick Gordon’s put-back pushes UMass past Providence in OT
The Friar’s played great defense on the first shot but forgot to box-out. Gordon snuck into the paint practically untouched, snagged the rebound, and scored the game winner. This play exemplifies why the team in possession should shoot with a few seconds left in a tie game.
9. Devin Oliver banks in winner at Ole’ Miss
There’s no way Oliver called glass, but, luckily for him, the bank was open later than usual on this night at Ole Miss. From this angle, that looked like a tough foul call against the Rebels.
8. Colter beats Bonnies at the Buzzer
Derrick Colter goes from inbounding the ball under his basket to drilling the game-winning runner in 3.8 seconds. I wouldn’t call him slow.
7. Creeks step-back knocks off Terps
I kind of feel bad for the Maryland defender. Creek made him look foolish, but there was not a whole lot he could have done.
6. Langston Galloway beats Dayton… Twice!
The Hawks beat Dayton 70-67 twice last season thanks, in part, because of clutch parts from their sharp-shooter. It must have felt like Déjà Vu for the Flyers after Galloway hit his second game-wining trey against them in the A-10 tournament. In his first winner, Galloway, like Oliver, banks home a game-winning three, as the Hawks won at one of the toughest places to play in the A-10.
(Skip to 1:00 in the second video.)
5. Dayton steals game from IPFW
I still can’t understand why IPFW would throw up a 50-50 ball when leading by two with seconds remaining. The Mastodons (one of the top mascots in college sports) weren’t exactly world-beaters, but the Flyers literarily steal this game in remarkable fashion. If context was not part of the criteria, this was probably the best buzzer-beater of the season.
4. Graham drills a three to win at UVA
Overall, this was a pretty ugly game. But, there’s nothing ugly with Graham’s cold-blooded winner. This ended up being the Virginia championship, as no other Virginian teams could really challenge either the Rams or the Cavaliers.
3. SLU Layup clinches A-10
Jordair Jett sealed the win for the Billikens on a well-defended drive, which seemed like a just way for SLU to clinch the conference title.
2. Bonnies Buzzer-beater trey drops SLU
The only thing that would have made this shot better would have been if Gus Johnson had been calling the game. That’s it. In addition to being one of the shots of the season, this was probably the league’s top upset of the season.
1. Vee Sanford starts Dayton’s tournament run with runner over Aaron Craft
In retrospect, it’s wild to think that in the second round Dayton nearly lost, and St. Joe’s probably should have beat UConn. Centimeters helped spark Dayton’s eventual Elite-8 run, and kept the Hawks from beating the eventual champions in the round of 64. College Basketball is awesome.
