Braylon Mullins hit a 35-footer that reminded college basketball fans what March was all about.
UConn’s upset of Duke in the 2026 Elite Eight was absolutely improbable. After falling behind by 19 in the first half, the Huskies’ eventual win became one of the biggest comebacks in the history of March Madness.
But no piece of it was as unlikely as the final 10 seconds, when UConn’s full-court pressure forced a bad pass from Cayden Boozer, and the ball found Mullins’ hands more than 30 feet from the basket.
He was 0-for-4 from behind the arc that game and just 4-for-23 in the NCAA Tournament.
And you know what happened next. It was one of the greatest NCAA Tournament shots ever.
Inspired by Mullins’ historic swish, I knew it was time to circle the wagons and put together a definitive list of the greatest game-winning shots in the history of March Madness.
These are the ones you should never forget – the ones that reside in the pantheon of all-time great NCAA Tournament shots.
Christian Laettner, 1992 Elite Eight
Let’s just get it out of the way.
You know it. I know it. Your 12-year-old kid and 95-year-old great-grandmother both know it.
Kris Jenkins, 2016 National Championship
This is probably my personal favorite because of the play call, the visual, and just how clean it all looked in execution.
Lorenzo Charles, 1983 National Championship
The dunk off a bad miss, which bails out 45 seconds of offensive execution going absolutely nowhere, capped one of the greatest Cinderella championships in basketball history.
The most amazing thing about this ending is, of course, Jim Valvano running around on the court after it’s over. That’s become even more famous than the game-winning dunk.
Arike Ogunbowale, 2018 Final Four – Twice!
If you weren’t locked into women’s basketball yet in the late 2010s, you really missed out on one of the all-time highlights.
Notre Dame guard Arike Ogunbowale hit back-to-back game-winners in the Final Four and subsequent national championship game to completely immortalize her name in the annals of Madness.
If this were men’s basketball, it would lead SportsCenter every day for the rest of time.
Mario Chalmers, 2008 National Championship
Derrick Rose could have given Memphis a four-point lead and all but ensured a Tigers’ championship if he had sunk both of his free throws with 10 seconds left.
Instead, he went 1-for-2, and Kansas guard Mario Chalmers connected on a 3 from the wing with just a couple seconds left in regulation.
Kansas went on to win the game, and the national championship in overtime. Chalmers’ shot was the only reason they were alive and is credited as the game-saving shot, if not an outright game-winner.
Kristi Toliver, 2006 National Championship
This is the exact parallel of the Chalmers situation, just two years earlier and in the women’s championship.
Freshman point guard Kristi Toliver was absolutely on fire late in this game for Maryland. She hit a really difficult two with about 30 seconds to go. Soon after, she drilled a tough 3 with about five seconds left to force overtime, where the Terps ultimately prevailed over conference rival Duke.
Jalen Suggs, 2021 Final Four
A perfect time capsule relic for the post-COVID NCAA Tournament – Jalen Suggs nailing a half-court bank shot for the win, screaming into an empty auditorium filled with plastic cutouts of fake people, while other coaches and players wear masks that may or may not be placed correctly on their faces.
Bryce Drew, 1998 First Round
Bryce Drew missed a go-ahead 3-pointer with five seconds left, and it seemed like No. 13 Valparaiso wasn’t going to quite get over the line to beat No. 4 Ole Miss. Ansu Sesay, the SEC Player of the Year, was fouled with 4.1 seconds left, and Valpo needed a miracle.
After Sesay missed both free throws, Drew got a chance to redeem himself. And this time, after an incredible inbounds pass, he didn’t miss.
The Valpo shot has been surpassed over the last 30 years by bigger shots with higher stakes than a first-round game. But in the late 1990s and 2000s, Drew’s shot was basically the platonic ideal of a mid-major Cinderella shot.
RJ Hunter, 2015 First Round
Speaking of shots by the coach’ s son:
RON HUNTER HAS FALLEN OFF HIS STOOL!
Morgan William, 2017 Final Four
UConn completely owned women’s basketball in the 2010s. The Huskies had a 111-game winning streak entering the 2017 Final Four and were eyeing yet another national championship.
Mississippi State guard Morgan William ended it at the buzzer in overtime. Though she didn’t know it at the time, her game-winner would usher in a new era of competitive balance and depth in women’s hoops.
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