The longest 0.3 seconds in history.

That’s the amount of time that the shot from Braylon Mullins needed to steal the breath away from everyone in Capital One Arena with a 35-foot swish that you can still hear every time you close your eyes.

The Mullins Miracle gutted rival Duke, propelled UConn to its third Final Four in four years and now goes down as one of the most indelible clutch moments in the 87-year history of the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament.

Pure March Madness.

This wasn’t the first time that the Blue Devils and Huskies have given us a moment for the ages. Does the name Christian Laettner ring any Pavlovian bells? So, where does the Mullins heave rank on the list of the all-time wildest endings in March Madness lore? Scroll below to find out.

No. 10 — HALFCOURT HIGHWAY ROBBERY

Arkansas vs. Louisville | 1981 | Second Round

Defending champion Louisville watched in horror as their repeat chances sailed 49 feet and in for the longest two-point dagger in March Madness history. (The 3-point shot wasn’t introduced until 1986)

U.S. Reed not only owns one of college basketball’s all-time great names, his game-winner for No. 20 Arkansas in the second round of the 1981 tournament stands as one of the first great March Madness moments.

It remains the only buzzer beater in tournament history to eliminate a defending champion. Enjoy the legendary broadcast call by a young Marv Albert.

No. 9 — VIRGINIA IS FOR HEARTACHE

Virginia vs. UMBC | 2018 | First Round
Virginia vs. Furman | 2023 | First Round

What a rollercoaster ride to be a Virginia fan between 2018 and 2023.

Heartache struck first in 2018 when the top-seeded Cavaliers dropped a stunner to UMBC in the opening round of the tournament , the first time in 135 attempts where a No. 16 upended a No. 1. Virginia redeemed themselves with a national title a year later. But the real pain was on its way.

Flash forward to 2023 and No. 13 Furman has just forced a steal while trailing by two points with eight seconds on the clock. Eventually, the ball winds up in the hands of J.P. Pegues. The rest was a 68-67 upset and another brutal first round bounce for then No. 4-seeded UVA.

So to answer Kevin Harlan’s iconic broadcast call, yes, we did just see what we thought we saw. Twice.

No. 8 — LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Valparaiso vs. Ole Miss | 1998 | First Round

We shed a collective tear when the father-son duo of Homer and Bryce Drew shared their very own Field of Dreams moment as No. 13 Valparaiso pulled off one the most impeccably-executed and improbable upsets in March Madness history.

The play dubbed “The Pacer” was drawn up by head coach Homer, who later admitted that it rarely ever worked in practice. Bill Jenkins snagged the inbounds with 2.5 seconds remaining and smoothly lateralled the ball to Crusader teammate Bryce Drew, who drained the three-pointer for the 70-69 upset over No. 4 Ole Miss without calling a timeout.

It worked when it mattered and Valparaiso danced all the way to the Sweet 16.

No. 7 — JIMMY V’S MIRACLE
NC State vs. Houston | 1983 | Championship

This one always gets us right in the feels. The image of NC State head coach Jimmy Valvano not knowing where to run or who to hug after NC State toppled Houston in the 1983 championship game is THE definition of March Madness. And why we never give up.

The Wolfpack erased a 7-point deficit with fewer than five remaining minutes and found themselves with a chance to upset the legendary Phi Slama Jama Cougars squad that featured Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

As the final seconds ticked off Dereck Whittenburg launched a sure airball that was caught by NC State teammate Lorenzo Charles for the dunk that seemed to even surprise himself.

The win made Valvano’s miracle squad the only team to ever win a championship with more than 10 losses on the year. And it spawned a movement in the process that would go on to inspire millions.

No. 6 — THE SHOT THAT WASN’T
Butler vs. Duke | 2010 | Championship

A mere two inches deprived Gordon Hayward from March Madness immortality.

With Butler trailing in the final seconds, Hayward grabbed a purposely-missed Duke free throw, dribbled to halfcourt and let fly as the final seconds ticked away. The ball struck the backboard, rim and anything but the bottom of the net and Duke pulled out the 61-59 win and its fourth NCAA title.

Two inches is all that kept Butler from arguably one of the greatest Cinderella runs in sports history all in their own backyard at Lucas Oil Stadium.

No. 5 — MARIO’S MIRACLE
Kansas vs. Memphis | 2008 | Championship

Mario Chalmers just wanted to play a little longer before leading Kansas to its third championship banner.

Memphis watched helplessly as its 9-point advantage quickly slipped away with two minutes to play. The Tigers clanked four of their last five free throws, including a shot from the stripe with 10 seconds on the clock. Then the madness struck as Sherron Collins fumbled the ball before managing to kick it out to Mario Chalmers at the top of the arc with 2 seconds to go.

Chalmers didn’t miss and the Jayhawks triumphed 75-68 in overtime for Bill Self’s first title in Lawrence, Kansas. Ultimately, it wouldn’t matter. The NCAA eventually vacated the Tigers season due to Derrick Rose recruiting infractions.

No. 4 — THE MULLINS MIRACLE
UConn vs. Duke | 2026 | Elite Eight

Note to self. Do not cross UConn. The Huskies waited 34 years to exact their revenge on Laettner and Duke, who stunned UConn with an Elite Eight buzzer-beater during the 1990 tournament.

With Duke up by as much as 19 in the first half and the Huskies shooting an ice-cold 1-18 from behind the arc, it appeared the Blue Devils were cruising to yet another Final Four.

UConn woke up, hit some threes, and maximized their defense pressure to force a turnover on an inbounds pass that will go down in infamy. After thwarting a Cayden Boozer pass at midcourt, the ball wound up in the hands of freshman Mullins, and the debate about the greatest endings in March Madness history was on.

It’s the first time in tournament history that a team has blown a 15-point halftime lead and lost.

Duke had been a staggering 134-0 in tournament play when in the same scenario.

Thanks to Mullins, it’s now 134-1.

No. 3 — THE VILLAIN IS BORN
Duke vs. Kentucky | 1992 | Elite Eight

It’s the most famous catch-dribble-pump fake in college basketball history, and the real-time instant Christian Laettner went from being a great collegiate player to one of the sport’s biggest villains.

It’s one of those “where were you when…” moments as the Duke power forward sank one of the most iconic shots in NCAA history to lift the Blue Devils to a 104-103 victory over Kentucky in the Elite Eight.

Early in the contest, Laettner stepped on Kentucky’s Aminu Timberlake, drawing a technical foul. And the angst began to boil.
Grant Hill proved he could have a career at quarterback with his inbounds throw, but it was Laettner’s heroics, including shooting a perfect 10-10 from the field AND the free-throw line, that go down in history.

And the anti-Christian Laettner movement was born.

No. 2 — THE BANK JOB
Gonzaga vs. UCLA | 2021 | Final Four

The only thing that would have made Jalen Suggs’ game-winner versus UCLA in the 2021 Final Four better would be if the Gonzaga guard had first called “bank.”

Suggs shook over the immense pressure of preserving the Bulldogs perfect 30-0 season (up to that point) with a 40-foot heave that sent Gonzaga to the championship game with a 93-90 overtime win…and high spot on every all-time buzzer beater list.

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few opted not to use his final timeout and instead put the game in the hands of the March Madness gods. The Bulldogs must have used up all of their karma against UCLA, a No. 11 seed on a miracle run. The Bulldogs lost the title game by 16 points to Baylor, but Suggs’ shot goes down in history.

No. 1 — THE DREAM SHOT
Villanova vs. North Carolina | 2016 | Championship

Kris Jenkins got to live out every kid’s dream.

The Villanova star calmly drilled a long three-pointer to beat the buzzer in the 2016 title game against North Carolina to reward the Wildcats with their second championship. Nova’s Ryan Arcidiacono doesn’t get the praise he deserves for making the unselfish decision to dish to Jenkins, despite having an open shot himself.

Less than five seconds earlier, Tar Heel guard Marcus Paige staked his own claim for March Madness glory by tying the game at 74 with a three-pointer from the left wing. Jenkins and Villanova had other ideas and decided to write their own history.

FIRST OFF THE BENCH: HONORABLE MENTIONS

Tyus Edney, UCLA vs. Missouri | 1995 | Second Round – Edney goes the length of the court to knock off Missouri en route to UCLA’s last championship.

Paul Jesperson, Northern Iowa vs. Texas | 2016 | First Round – The Longhorns tied it with 2.7 to go, but Paul Jesperson had other ideas and shocked the basketball world…including himself.

Jordan Poole, Michigan vs. Houston | 2018 | Second Round – You have to hit your free throws. Houston failed to do so down the stretch and Michigan’s Jordan Poole made them pay dearly.

Chris Webber, Michigan vs. North Carolina | 1993 | Championship – Talk about madness. The most infamous non-shot in tournament history cost Chris Webber and Michigan the chance at March Madness greatness. C-Webb had a stellar pro career, but the non-timeout timeout will haunt him forever.

Dylan Darling, St. John’s vs. Kansas | 2026 | Second Round – Oh my Darling, what just happened? It might have just happened this year, but the Red Storm junior hit an improbable shot to down the Jayhawks that will be remembered forever in Queens.