March Madness: 25 greatest buzzer-beaters in NCAA Tournament history
By Nick Villano
19. Korie Lucious: No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 5 Michigan State – 2010 Round of 32
Maryland just made a shot to put themselves up by one with just six seconds left in the second-round game, pitting a 4-seed against a 5-seed. This is always an interesting decision by the opposing team because when a team is up by one, they are going to be looking for the two-point shot.
Should they still try to go for the higher-quality shot with more defense against them, or go for the 3-pointer with very little defensive pressure?
Korie Lucious decided shooting from behind the arc was the better decision. He got the pass, took a step to his left, and drained a shot as the clock expired. This saved the Spartans, who blew a 16-point second-half lead.
This game was even more important after nine-seeded Northern Iowa just beat the top seed in the entire tournament in the Kansas Jayhawks. Whoever won this game had a real opportunity to make the Elite Eight. Michigan State built so much momentum, they made it to the Final Four.
It all started with a shot from three that could have gone either way. Sometimes these buzzer-beaters are the momentum a team needs. Ironically enough, they lost in the Final Four to Butler, who was also on this list.