March Madness: 25 greatest buzzer-beaters in NCAA Tournament history

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 04: Kris Jenkins #2 of the Villanova Wildcats takes a shot over Joel Berry II #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the NCAA College Basketball Tournament Championship game at NRG Stadium on April 04, 2016 in Houston, Texas. The Wildcats won 77-74. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

10 of 26

17. Mamadi Diakite: No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 3 Purdue – 2019 Elite Eight

We don’t have to look very far back to remember this one. Virginia was one year off from being the first every one seed to lose in the first round. The Cavaliers were trying to forget those terrible thoughts by making it to the Final Four, making all thoughts of upsets far on the back burner. 3-seed Purdue was sitting in their way, and they had the lead with 5.9 seconds left.

Purdue fouled Virginia to put them at the line, down three with only two shots. It’s definitely a strategy that some people don’t agree with but some live and die by it. Make them miss the second free throw and get the rebound overshooting a three to tie the game.

Mamadi Diakite did just about everything on that play to tie it for Virginia. After the free throw miss by Ty Jerome, Diakite jumped up and tipped the ball past half court to guarantee another possession. Then, a 30-foot one-handed pass landed in his hands with 0.9 seconds left, and he just threw it up. It went in the net and we were headed for overtime.

The Cavaliers beat the Boilermakers in overtime, building off the momentum they had in regulation to seal the deal. Virginia could have seen another upset ruin their season, although this one less embarrassing. However, they made it clear this wasn’t how it was going to go down, and they actually went all the way to a National Championship, bringing the year full circle.

Home/March Madness