To count down the days to the Big Dance, we’ll be unveiling the top ten buzzer beaters from the NCAA tournament each morning until the first game. So when you roll out of bed next Thursday, crusty-eyed and anxious for wall-to-wall basketball action, you’ll be met with the early treat of the #1 NCAA buzzer beater of all-time. This morning we start with #10, which happened just two seasons ago in Greensboro, North Carolina. A lot of pundits had called Tennessee overrated as a 2-seed that had lost four of their last six games, and Bruce Pearl’s team wasn’t doing anything to prove them wrong. Although the Volunteers should have been able to put away 15th-seeded Winthrop early, their largest lead of the game was only six points, and that came just eight minutes into it. But with just 2.9 seconds to go in a tie game, Chris Lofton threw up a shot from just inside the arc to put the Vols up for good. While the shot didn’t technically come at the buzzer — Winthrop would miss their own game-tying attempt as the horn sounded — it was one of the most exciting finishes in recent memory. And it’s also today’s YouTube highlight, checking in at #10 on the countdown of Top Ten March Madness Buzzer Beaters. |