10 best NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 moments of all time

7. Tate George’s buzzer beater vs. Clemson – 1990

Nowadays, UConn is thought of as one of the best programs in college basketball. But back in 1990, they were a team that struggled to get over the hump. UConn went into the Tournament that year as a No. 1 seed, and after cruising through the first two rounds, they nearly crashed and burned out of the Sweet 16.

Against an upstart Clemson team, UConn led by as many as 19 points. Clemson came all the way back and took the lead late in the second half. With one second left, they were on the verge of advancing to the Elite Eight while UConn needed a miracle.

That’s when Scott Burrell did his best Dan Orlovsky impression when he heaved a full-court pass up to Tate George. George caught it, spun around, then heaved up a 15-foot fadeaway at the buzzer. It was good, and the Huskies won 71-70 to advance to their first Elite Eight since 1964.

In the regional final, UConn played Duke to a very tight contest. The Blue Devils won 79-78 in overtime with the most unsung hero scoring the game-winner: Christian Laettner. Perhaps the Huskies should’ve warned Kentucky about him.

Although UConn fell short in 1990, it lay the groundwork for later success in the NCAA Tournament. Rip Hamilton followed Tate George’s footsteps by hitting a famous buzzer beater in 1998, then won in their first Championship Game the following year. While UConn has struggled to make the Tournament since they last won it in 2014, they’re always in the running to remain a competitive team.