Underdog N.C. State's victory on Lorenzo Charles' dunk remains the definitive all-time buzzer-beater. Houston had the high-powered Phi Slama Jama of Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. At one point, Houston had a seven-point lead but then went into an uncharacteristic offensive slowdown. That allowed the Wolfpack to make up ground. The final play was really a bust all the way that turned into a miracle. A pass to N.C. State's Dereck Whittenburg was slapped away by Drexler, but Whittenburg came up with it and chucked a 30-foot errant prayer that Charles answered with his catch-and-slam. Cue Jimmy V.
1985: Villanova 66, Georgetown 64
This game might not have featured the cliff-hanging climax of other games in this group, but it remains a classic nail-biter. Villanova became the lowest-seeded team to win a national championship, but even though the Wildcats played the so-called "perfect game" and shot 9-for-10 from the field in the second half, the lead changed hands nine times in the final 20 minutes. Harold Jensen put Villanova ahead for good on a jumper with about 2 1/2 minutes left, but Georgetown wasn't done. A basket by Patrick Ewing cut the Villanova lead to 61-58 to make the Wildcats sweat, forcing them to hit their free throws down the stretch.
