College Basketball: The 30 Best Game-Winning Shots of 2011

2011 had more than its share of drama on the basketball court.

A pair of mid-majors advanced all the way to the Final Four in one of the most exciting and unpredictable NCAA tournaments.

Kemba Walker hit clutch shot after clutch shot during Connecticut's run towards a national championship.

And many other NCAA tournament, conference tournament and regular season games came down to the final possession.

Here is a look back at the 30 best game-winners and buzzer beaters of the calender year.

*Follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer for more college basketball news and information.

30. Coastal Carolina Shocks Clemson in a South Carolina Battle

Coastal Carolina worked its way back from down 12 points at in-state rival Clemson back in November.

The Chanticleers trailed by a point with 10 seconds to play, but they had possession of the basketball.

They put the ball in the hands of Chris Gradnigo, who had hit a huge three-pointer on the previous possession, for the game-winning shot.

After missing a jump shot from the foul line, Gradnigo crashed the glass and tipped in his own miss to keep Coastal's then-undefeated record intact.

29. D.J. Gay Sends San Diego State to the Conference Championship

After letting a 10-point, halftime lead slip away, the San Diego State Aztecs had one last shot to beat UNLV at the buzzer and go to the Mountain West championship game.

D.J. Gay, the Aztecs' third leading scorer, had been on the floor the whole night, but he managed to find enough energy to drain one more shot with 4.9 seconds to play, giving San Diego State a 74-72 win.

Tre'Von Willis tried what would have been a game-winning three-pointer for UNLV, but the shot fell off target at the buzzer.

28. Andrew Smith's Tip-in Gets Butler Past Purdue in the Crossroads Classic

Butler was desperately in need of a key win at the Crossroads Classic. The Bulldogs were in the middle of a three-game losing streak, and their résumé for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament had nothing to show.

Butler came back from down double digits in the second half to take a 65-64 lead on Chase Stigall's layup in the final minute. But after Lewis Jackson split a pair of free throws, the Bulldogs were in need of some late-game heroics.

Out of a timeout, Roosevelt Jones put up a runner in the lane that missed off the rim. But 7-foot center Andrew Smith was there for a putback with exactly one second to play, and Butler picked up its first big win of the season.

27. Hollis Thompson Shocks Coleman Coliseum

Alabama erased a seven-point deficit to take its first lead of the second half on a pair of Trevor Releford free throws in the final minute. 

But even with all the momentum favoring Alabama, forward Hollis Thompson stepped up for Georgetown and knocked in his second three-pointer of the night to give the Hoyas a 57-55 win at the Coleman Coliseum.

In addition, it gave Georgetown its second of three top 25 wins so far this season. 

26. Tinsley, Vanderbilt Ward off Oregon State at the Legends Classic

Vanderbilt's status as a top 25 team was already being questioned back in mid-November after the Commodores lost to Cleveland State. A loss to Oregon State would surely knock them out of the national rankings.

Vanderbilt controlled the ball in the final minute leading 62-60, but a steal by Devon Collier led to a game-tying basket by Ahmad Starks. 

With under 10 seconds to play, Kevin Stallings went to his senior point guard, Brad Tinsley, who drained a clutch jumper from the right wing to give the Commodores a Legends Classic title.

25. Trevor Releford Sends 'Bama to the NIT Championship

With a spot in the NIT championship game against Wichita State on the line, Alabama was in need of a big shot in the final minute, trailing 61-60.

With less than 20 seconds to play, the Crimson Tide went to Trevor Releford, who drove baseline and made a game-winning layup with 13 seconds remaining. 

Colorado sprinted up the floor with one last chance to win, but Alec Burks' jumper was off target, giving 'Bama one more night of basketball.

24. Jae Crowder's Three-Pointer Takes Down Washington in NYC

Marquette fought back from an early deficit at Madison Square Garden and eventually held a 76-75 lead in the final minute of the game, but Washington's Terrence Ross drained a go-ahead basket with 19 seconds to play.

But with 6.3 seconds left, Jae Crowder caught a pass from Vander Blue in the right corner and drained what would become the game-winning three-pointer.

Considering it was the Jimmy V Classic, it would have been more fitting for Crowder's shot to be an airball and have a Golden Eagle dunk the miss, but a normal three-pointer will have to do.

23. Peyton Siva Takes Down Vandy in Overtime

Louisville's undefeated season was on the line on December 2 when they took on the Vanderbilt Commodores.

The Cardinals trailed by as many as nine points in the second half, but, thanks to a missed free throw by Steve Tchiengang, they got a second life in overtime.

In the extra period, John Jenkins made a pair of free throws for the Commodores to tie the score at 60-60 with 12 seconds to play.

Peyton Siva responded by driving the length of the floor and dropping a finger-roll through the hoop to keep Louisville's perfect season alive. 

22. Matt Howard Putback Starts Butler's Magical Run

Butler and Old Dominion met up in a No. 8 vs. No. 9, mid-major matchup in the NCAA tournament.

In a back and forth game, Butler eventually opened up a 49-43 lead in the second half. But the Monarchs worked hard to knot things up at 58-58 on a pair of Kent Bazemore free throws with 32 seconds left.

But with less than 35 seconds remaining, the shot clock was off and Butler opted to play for the last shot.

In the final seconds, Shawn Vanzant missed a layup, but Andrew Smith was able to bat the ball back in the air in order to keep the play alive. The ball ended up in the hands of senior Matt Howard, who laid it up and in for a game-winning layup.

Then, two days later, Butler had a matchup with No. 1 seed Pittsburgh.

To cap off one of the craziest finishes of the entire tournament, Howard drained a game-winning free throw with less than a second to play, sending Butler to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season.

21. VCU Earns a Date with Kansas

The Virginia Commonwealth Rams needed overtime against Florida State to continue their magical run towards the Final Four.

In a Sweet 16 matchup with the No. 10 seed Seminoles, the Rams lost control of a nine-point lead in the final eight minutes of the second half but still managed to force overtime. 

Then, in the extra period, Florida State took a 71-70 advantage on Chris Singleton's dunk with 30 seconds remaining. 

After Bernard James knocked Joey Rodriguez's layup out of bounds with nine seconds to play, Bradford Burgess caught Rodriguez's inbound pass and laid it up and in with 7.1 seconds to put VCU on top for good.

20. Hancock Got It for Three!

Every game-winning shot becomes that much better when Gus Johnson is calling the game.

In a neck-and-neck battle, Villanova's Corey Fisher put the Wildcats on top in the final minute with three free throws.

George Mason's Luke Hancock brought the ball up the court for the Patriots and dribbled down to the right wing. After getting some separation from his defender, Hancock stepped back behind the three-point line and drilled a jump shot, putting Mason back on top for the win.

19. DJO Sends Marquette to the Sweet 16 for the First Time Since 2003

After Marquette held a slim second half lead, it looked like Syracuse might pull away in the final minutes; a quick 4-0 spurt put the Orange up by three in the final three minutes. 

But Marquette was able to respond against the higher seed with a three-pointer from Jae Crowder.

Two minutes later, with the score still tied, Darius Johnson-Odom drilled in a trey of his own from the top of the arc that would put the Golden Eagles up for good.

Marquette then shot 4-of-4 from the foul line in the final 20 seconds to seal its victory and a berth in the Sweet 16.

18. Harrison Barnes Gets North Carolina Past Florida State

No. 13 North Carolina went to unranked Florida State in its final road game of the regular season.

The Tar Heels opened up their largest lead of the game at 67-60 with under four minutes to play, but behind a rowdy, home crowd the Seminoles went on a 10-2 spurt and led 70-69 with 18 seconds to play.

Roy Williams ran an isolation for freshman star Harrison Barnes, who drained a go-ahead three-pointer from the top of the arc with 3.1 seconds remaining.

While sprinting up the floor for a chance to tie or win the game, Florida State's Derwin Kitchen stepped out of bounds, and the Tar Heels were able to celebrate a win on the road.

17. Kentucky Survives Princeton's Upset Bid

Kentucky, which would eventually advance to the Final Four, nearly lost in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

For 40 minutes of basketball, the Princeton Tigers put up a good fight against the Wildcats. With less than 40 seconds to play, Dan Mavraides tied the score at 57-57 with a fadeaway jumper.

Kentucky had a final chance to win, and John Calipari put the ball in the hands of freshman guard Brandon Knight, who had scored no points on 0-for-7 shooting through the first 39:58.

But the law of averages paid off as Knight banked in a layup with two seconds left, and Kentucky won 59-57.

16. Derrick Williams Three-Point Play Eliminates Texas

The final 20 seconds of Texas' second round game with Arizona were a nightmare for the Longhorns.

Clinging to a 69-67 lead, the Longhorns made a defensive stop and called for a timeout. However, after the timeout, they failed to inbound the basketball and were called for a five-second violation, sending the ball back to the Wildcats.

Arizona managed to take advantage of Texas' mistake.

Derrick Williams made an acrobatic layup with 9.6 seconds on the clock and was fouled while doing so. Williams converted the three-point play, and Texas had no response on the other end. 

15. Brandon Knight Gets the Job Done a Second Time

The drama was not over for Kentucky after its 59-57 win over Princeton in the first round.

Once again, Knight was struggling. Through the first 34 minutes, he had three points on 1-for-8 shooting. But when Kentucky needed him most, the freshman was able to come through.

With 5:20 remaining, Knight drained a three-pointer to put the Wildcats on top, 56-53.

And after Jon Diebler's three-pointer tied the score at 60-60 with 21.2 seconds, Knight knocked down a game-winning jumper with 5.4 on the clock.

William Buford's attempt at the buzzer rimmed out, and Kentucky advanced to the Elite Eight, where it would play UNC. 

14. Juan Fernandez Sends Penn State Home

Temple fought back from down 20-11 in the first half to take a 47-43 lead with 10:30 to play. Regardless, No. 10 seed Penn State was able to stay close through the final minute.

The Owls let a 64-61 lead slip away when Talor Battle drained his fifth three-pointer of the night with 16 seconds remaining, but there was still enough time for Temple to come away with a win in regulation.

Temple had no flow in its offense after Juan Fernandez picked up his dribble near the three-point arc, but with 0.4 seconds, Fernandez managed to knock down a contested jump shot, allowing Temple to advance to a second round matchup with San Diego State.

13. Dwight Hardy and St. John's Continue Their Garden Magic

St. John's made its way back onto the national scene with six wins over top 15 teams during the 2010-11 season.

Possibly the biggest, and definitely the most exciting, came against No. 4 Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden.

Senior guard Dwight Hardy, who had been averaging 25.3 points per game over his previous six games, did not have one of his better overall showings, scoring 19 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Hardy made three of four free throws in the final minute to give the Johnnies a 58-56 lead over the Panthers, but point guard Travon Woodall came up with a response from beyond the arc to put the lead back in Pittsburgh's hands 11.3 seconds remaining.

Hardy drove to his right and appeared to be stopped by Gilbert Brown on the baseline, but he was creative enough to find room to flip the ball at the hoop from underneath the basket and hit the game-winner.

12. Jim Mower Sends Lafayette to the Semifinals

Lafayette fans did not have much to cheer during the 2010-11 season. The Leopards lost six of their first seven games and ultimately finished 13-19, 6-8 in the Patriot League.

The Leopards' 6-8 conference record made them the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament, and an exit in the first round was likely.

After defeating No. 3 seed Holy Cross in the quarterfinals, Lafayette would play No. 2 seed American, which the Leopards had lost to in double overtime in their regular season finale, for a spot in the conference championship game against Bucknell.

No team led by more than six points in the semifinal, but American held a 71-70 lead in the second overtime with just a few ticks left on the clock.

Tony Johnson brought the ball up the court for Lafayette and dished to Jim Mower who drained a game-winning three-pointer with half a second left on the clock, and the Leopards advanced to the conference championship game.

11. Douglas Davis Sends Princeton to NCAA Tournament, Continues Harvard Drought

Princeton outlasted Penn to finish 12-2 and earn a spot in a rare conference championship game in the Ivy League.

In the tiebreaker, the Tigers came back from down six points in the final eight minutes and trailed 62-61 with 10 seconds left.

Douglas Davis go-ahead layup was blocked out of bounds by Harvard's Kyle Casey with 2.8 seconds left, so Princeton had one last shot to win the game off the inbound pass. 

Dan Mavraides inbounded from the baseline to Davis on the left corner. Davis took two dribbles to his right and then nailed a jumper from the wing to give Princeton a 63-62 win.

The shot sent Princeton to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004 and kept Harvard from going to the tourney for the first time since 1946.

10. E.J. Singler and Oregon Defeat Creghton for the 2011 CBI Title

After being picked to finish in last place in the Pac-12, the Oregon Ducks would take anything they could get in the 2010-11 season.

With a 16-17 record, the Ducks earned a bid to the CBI tournament. In their first three games, they defeated Weber State, Duquesne, and Boise State to earn a spot in a best of three championship with Creighton.

The Ducks and the Bluejays split the first two games of the championship, so they would play a third game at Oregon on April Fool's Day.

And sure enough, Creighton got tricked in the final minute.

The Bluejays inbounded in the front court with 26 seconds remaining, and Antoine Young began taking time off the clock. However, Young wandered over the halfcourt line, which was masked in the design of Oregon's court, giving the ball back to the Ducks with 18 ticks left on the clock.

Oregon ran down the clock to under 10 seconds and put the ball in the hands of E.J. Singler, the brother of former Duke player Kyle Singler.

Singler drove to the basket and got a short jumper to drop through the basket with two seconds left.

Jahens Manigat missed a last-second heave for Creighton, and the Ducks escaped with a CBI championship.

9. Demonte Harper's Three-Pointer Wins the Battle of the Birds

For the first time since the 1950s, Morehead State went to the NCAA tournament two times in three seasons.

In 2009, the Eagles beat Alabama State in the play-in game and then lost to No. 1 seed Louisville in the first round.

In 2011, they got a rematch with Rick Pitino's Cardinals, and this time Morehead State came out on top.

After Morehead State opened up with a 10-0 run, Louisville fought back to tie the game at 33-33 going into halftime. The Cardinals then came out hot in the second half and held a 47-39 lead at the 12-minute official timeout.

Louisville was able to hold on to its lead into the final minute, but Kenneth Faried hit a pair of free throws with 32 seconds left to cut the deficit to 61-59.

After Elisha Justice missed the front end of a one-and-one, the Eagles were able to run down the clock inside 10 seconds.

With 4.2 seconds to play, senior Demonte Harper drained a pull-up trey to give Morehead State a 62-61 advantage.

On the other end, Faried blocked Mike Marra's buzzer beater, and the Eagles advanced in March.

8. Soleman Bozeman Sends UALR to the 2011 NCAA Tournament

Arkansas-Little Rock entered the Sun Belt tournament with a losing record. In order to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament, the Trojans would have to win four games in four days.

After beating South Alabama, Arkansas State, and Middle Tennessee, defending champion North Texas was the only team in the way of UALR advancing in March.

No team led by more than five points in the first 35 minutes of the championship game.

But after UALR tied the score at 52 with five minutes remaining, North Texas went on a 7-0 run to take a 59-52 lead inside the final two minutes.

Despite all the momentum being in the Mean Green's hands, the Trojans fought back to cut the lead to 62-61 on a Matt Mouzy three-pointer with 16 seconds remaining.

Tristan Thompson then split a pair of free throws for North Texas, so UALR had one last chance to force overtime with a two-pointer or win with a three-pointer.

Out of a timeout, Soleman Bozeman dribbled up the court and then nailed a step-back three-pointer, giving the Trojans a 64-63 lead with 1.6 seconds remaining.

UALR's Alex Garcia-Mendoza intercepted the ensuing inbound pass, and the Trojans celebrated an automatic berth to the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

7. Matt Dickey Shocks Coastal Carolina

UNC-Asheville lost control of a 50-45 lead late in the second half, and after the rebound from a missed three-pointer by Dickey fell into the hands of Coastal Carolina, it appeared that the Chanticleers would have one more chance in regulation to survive at home.

But with 2.8 seconds, Dickey redeemed himself by intercepting Coastal Carolina's inbound pass and draining a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Not only did this shot take down the first place team in the Big South, but it also sparked a seven-game winning streak, which ultimately ended in the NCAA tournament with a loss to No. 1 seed Pittsburgh.

6. 65-Foot Heave from Michael Alvarado Caps off a Manhattan Comeback

In a battle between the No. 10 and No. 9 teams in the MAAC, no one expected anything special to come out of this game.

After trailing 56-51 late in the second half, back-to-back three-point plays for Manhattan put them ahead by a point. But then Marist's Dorvell Carter responded with a three-pointer of his own, putting the lead back in Marist's hands.

Marist had the opportunity to put the game away with two seconds remaining, but Devin Price missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Demetrius Jemison grabbed the rebound and called timeout for the Jaspers.

Out of the timeout, George Beamon inbounded to Michael Alvarado, who took a pair of dribbles and then let it fly from 65 feet away. Against all odds, Alvarado's shot banked in, and the Jaspers picked up their first road win of the season since their season opener at NJIT.

5. Jonathan Mitchell Converts a Four-Point Play to Top 'Nova

Rutgers fought back from down 11 points in the final five minutes against No. 10 Villanova back in February.

With less than 10 seconds to play, the Scarlet Knights had a chance to force overtime with a three-pointer, but no one realistically thought they would be able to win the game in regulation.

But Villanova's Corey Fisher gave them the opportunity to do so.

With .8 seconds on the clock, Jonathan Mitchell knocked down a contested three-pointer to tie the game. In the act of shooting, Fisher hit him on the elbow.

Mitchell converted the free throw, and Rutgers fans stormed the court to celebrate a defining win for Mike Rice's squad.

4. Isaiah Thomas Hits Game-Winning Three-Pointer in Pac-10 Championship Game

With 10 seconds to play and the score tied in the Pac-10 championship game, most coaches would opt to take a timeout and draw up a play.

Instead, Lorenzo Romar let his senior point guard, Isaiah Thomas, do things his own way. Thomas let the clock run down to four seconds before he made his move.

He dribbled to his left and then put up a step-back jumper over the smaller defender, and his shot touched nothing but net, giving Washington a Pac-10 title and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

3. Christian Watford Puts Indiana Back on the Map

Coming into this game, Indiana had not beaten a ranked opponent outside the Big Ten since the Hoosiers took down No. 22 Southern Illinois on December 1, 2007.

The Hoosiers also had not beaten Kentucky since December 8, 2007.

The last time they beat the No. 1 ranked team was on January 7, 2001 when they upset Michigan State.

On December 10, 2011, Indiana was a popular upset pick among college basketball analysts. The Hoosiers came into the game at 8-0, but they had not yet been tested.

Indiana was on the verge of pulling off the biggest upset of the young season, holding a 63-53 lead in the final 10 minutes.

However, like any team deserving of a No. 1 ranking would, Kentucky made one last push to stay undefeated.

A 12-3 run cut the Hoosier lead to 66-65 with 4:05 left, and Darius Miller's dunk two minutes later gave Kentucky its first lead since the 18:01 mark of the second half.

The Wildcats held on to that lead and took a 72-70 lead into the final possession of the game.

But just before the buzzer sounded, Christian Watford, who led all scorers with 20 points, drained a three-pointer from the left wing and was immediately mobbed by teammates and fans.

2. Damen Bell-Holter's Game-Winner from Three-Quarter Court

Damen Bell-Holter's game-winner was not all that different from Dickey's.

Oral Roberts worked its way back from down eight at halftime and tied the game on a pair of free throws from Warren Niles with three seconds left.

Following the free throws, Arkansas-Little Rock threw a pass down the court, but Bell-Holter was there to intercept it.

With the buzzer about to sound, Bell-Holter chucked a one-handed shot at the basket, which took a bounce of the backboard and dropped through the net, giving the Golden Eagles an improbable, 58-55 win.

1. Kemba Walker Comes Through in the Clutch

Kemba Walker hit three game-winning shots this year, more than any other player in college basketball.

The first came at Texas in overtime.

After blowing a lead late in the second half, the Huskies came out strong in overtime. Walker scored the final seven for UConn as it just barely managed to knock off Texas at the buzzer.

The second was at home against Villanova.

The Huskies came back from down seven points to take a 59-54 lead in the final minute. Then Corey Fisher knocked down five consecutive points to tie it up.

Once again, Walker put the team on his back and drained the game-winner as time expired.

The third and last was at Madison Square Garden in the Big East tournament.

Connecticut was taking on Pittsburgh with a spot in the Big East semifinals on the line. After Ashton Gibbs tied the score at 74-74, it was obvious that the ball would end up in the hands of Kemba Walker for the game-winning shot.

Walker missed his first attempt at it, but Jamal Coombs-McDaniel was there for the offensive rebound.

On his second attempt, Walker was lucky enough to have a mismatch with Pittsburgh center Gary McGhee. McGhee could not keep up with Walker, as Walker got him to trip with a crossover.

Once Walker got room for a jumper, he let it fly, and, of course, he made it.