There is just nothing like it. For 3 weeks, March Madness consumes and enthralls us. 40 million will fill out a bracket and each one of us will anxiously watch the countless games in hopes of beating the 1 in 9.2 quintillion odds of perfection. From the buzzer-beaters to the upsets, the tournament of the year provides us with more excitement than any other sporting event. In preparation for this year’s madness, here are 7 of ManScore’s craziest moments from the last 30+ years. 

Kris Jenkins’ Championship Buzzer-Beater (2016)
Last year’s NCAA Championship game will surely go down in history as one of the craziest endings to the tournament ever. Down by 3, North Carolina’s Marcus Paige put up an off balance, seemingly impossible shot to tie the game with 4.8 seconds to go. It seemed overtime was imminent but Kris Jenkins was having none of that. A perfectly executed drive down the court gave Jenkins the 3-point try and lifted the Tar Heels to their fifth National Championship.

Christian Laettner’s “The Shot” (1992)
Arguably the greatest college basketball game of all time, the East Regional Final between Duke and Kentucky was simply unbelievable. With 2.1 seconds left in OT, Grant Hill did his best quarterback impression and heaved a hail mary down court to Christian Laettner. Laettner faked right, dribbled once, turned and hit a jumper that will forever be labeled as “The Shot.” It would be hard to find more drama in a sports game than this one.

Northern Iowa Hits Half Court Buzzer-Beater (2016)
When you think of the NCAA tournament, you don’t think of Northern Iowa (8 bids in March Madness history). That certainly wasn’t the case in last year’s tournament as the #11 Panthers upset Texas, putting themselves on the map and ruining all of our brackets. With 2.7 seconds to go, Paul Jesperson took matters into his own hands and smacked a half court buzzer beater to stun the basketball nation.

Chris Webber’s Timeout Mistake (1993)
Let’s take a break from the buzzer-beaters and focus on a moment that was just plain sad. With his team down by 2 and 19 seconds left, Chris Webber grabbed a rebound off of a missed free throw and what ensued is the biggest mistake you’ll probably ever see in a basketball game. First, he travelled, but the referee didn’t call it; Webber caught a break. Then, he proceeded to drive down the court and call a timeout without realizing his team had no timeouts remaining. This resulted in a technical foul and cost Michigan the game and their tournament life. Ouch. 

Texas A&M’s 33 Second Comeback (2016)
Remember Northern Iowa? After their miraculous first round win over Texas, the Panthers looked like a Cinderella team poised for greatness. Up by 12 with 33 seconds remaining, there was not much that could go wrong…probably. Against all odds, Texas A&M would proceed to go on a 14-2 run, send the game into OT and win. It is the single greatest deficit overcome in the last minute of a game and you just have to watch the footage to believe it.

NC State’s Buzzer-Beater Jam (1983)
The late Lorenzo Charles’ buzzer-beater jam is a classic moment and one of the most memorable in tournament history. As Dereck Whiteenburg’s 30 footer went up with 3 seconds remaining, everyone knew it wasn’t going in. Charles reacted with perfect precision, timed his jump perfectly, caught the shot in mid air and slammed it in as time expired. There will never be another play quite like this and it is unquestionably a moment none of us will ever forget.

Tyus Edney Goes Coast-To-Coast (1995)
Basketball is all about defense and apparently Missouri forgot this fact in the classic 1995 game against UCLA. With 4.8 seconds remaining, Tyus Edney took the inbound pass and ran 94 feet down the court, putting in a layup and catapulting the Bruins to a sweet 16 birth. There was no dramatic fade-away and no half court heave. This one was all heart, hustle and muscle. Madness.