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

20. Kenton Paulino: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 6 West Virginia – 2006 Sweet 16

It took us until No. 20 to get to a buzzer-beater that happened in at least the second weekend of the tournament. Boy, was this a fun one. West Virginia ran the ball up the court with 11 seconds lefts, down by three to future Big 12 rival Texas. A fadeaway seconds later put the Longhorns under duress. Then, a top-20 buzzer-beater was to follow.

Texas was dominating most of the game, but West Virginia would show moxy with multiple major comebacks. No matter how down they went, the Mountaineers seemed to come back. One of the country’s top teams in Texas was looking to continue what was one of the most successful runs in their basketball history. They made the tourney for eight straight years, but they only made the Elite Eight once since the 1940s. This meant a lot to that fanbase.

Texas, not to be stopped, came down the court immediately after WVU tied things up. They wasted no time, as A.J. Abrams was looking to make some room. He found Kenton Paulino about 25 feet away from the basket, and he sank the bucket with no time left. It was almost meant to be, as the ball hit the front of the rim and still went in.

Texas would lose in the Elite Eight, showing this was the last bit of magic they had left, but still, this 3-pointer was the stuff of legends.