Wednesday, April 01, 2026

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march madness

Re-ranking the best NCAA Tournament buzzer beaters after UConn's insane shot to beat Duke

Christian Laettner, Braylon Mullins, Kris Jenkins

Braylon Mullins' 35-footer to send UConn to the Final Four was the kind of shot that makes you jump from your couch. The shot lands in some elite company among the greatest NCAA Tournament buzzer-beaters ever. Andy Staples re-ranked the best ones, and the following list is a snapshot of his full updated top 10 ranking.

1. Christian Laettner, 1992 (Duke vs. Kentucky, Elite Eight)

The Shot still sits alone at the top. Grant Hill's 75-foot baseball pass to the other free-throw line was nearly as improbable as what followed. Laettner catches, dribbles once, turns, and drains it over two defenders as time expires in overtime. Duke trailed by one. Then they didn't.

2. Kris Jenkins, 2016 (Villanova vs. North Carolina, National Championship)

Marcus Paige had just tied the game with a double-clutch three with six seconds left. Ryan Arcidiacono brought the ball up and handed it off to Jenkins, who calmly buried the title-winner as the buzzer sounded. The sheer stakes of it lift it higher in the ranking.

3. Braylon Mullins, 2026 (UConn vs. Duke, Elite Eight)

Duke led by two with 10 seconds left and had the ball. A freshman deflected a pass, Alex Karaban kicked it back out to Mullins standing near midcourt, and the UConn freshman sent it through the net from 35 feet with 0.4 seconds on the clock. If the backboard had lit up with the shot in the air, this might have passed the Jenkins shot.

4. Lorenzo Charles, 1983 (N.C. State vs. Houston, National Championship)

Dereck Whittenburg heaved an airball from the logo. Lorenzo Charles caught it mid-air and dunked it as time expired to stun Phi Slamma Jamma. Jim Valvano ran onto the court looking for someone to hug. The rest is history.

READ MORE FROM ANDY STAPLES →

college basketball

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LSU covered Wade's $4M buyout at NC State and committed at least $12M for the roster, while still owing fired coach Matt McMahon roughly $8M.

college football

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The Swamp is nearly 100 years old and overdue for renovation, but athletic departments everywhere are wrestling with how to balance necessary capital projects against spending on the roster.
The debate inside The Swamp captures exactly where college athletics stands in the NIL era.

READ MORE FROM ANDY STAPLES →

college football

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college basketball

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