Top 25 March Madness heroes of all-time

Bryce Drew is a Valporaiso legend. The former guard led Valpo to one of the most surreal moments in NCAA Tournament history and it’s still hard to believe to this day.

In the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, No. 13 Valporaiso found itself down 69-67 with No. 4 Ole Miss at the free throw line. The Rebels missed both free throws and the rebound was tipped out of bounds, giving the ball to Valporaiso with less than three seconds left and 94 feet to go.

It would take a nearly flawless inbounds pass down the floor to get the job done, and luckily that’s exactly what the Crusaders got. The pass made it about midway between the 3-point line and mid-court and Drew’s teammate shoveled it off to him streaking down the court. He caught it and hoisted up a leaning 3-pointer which hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

“Byrce Drew did it!” can still be heard echoing around the halls at Valporaiso University and Drew was an instant hero. He scored 22 points in the win and then led the Crusaders to their first-ever Sweet 16 with an overtime win over Florida State before losing to Rhode Island.

Drew came back to coach his alma mater, leading them to two NCAA Tournament appearances and a 124-49 overall record in his five years before accepting the Vanderbilt job in 2016.