5 Great Late Plays

We count down a quintet of the best-executed late-game plans in tournament history

5 -- Princeton shows defending champion UCLA the first-round backdoor, 1996 Southeast Regional. With nine seconds left the Tigers' Gabe Lewullis cuts backdoor, only to be shadowed by the Bruins' Charles O'Bannon. But during the previous timeout coach Pete Carril told Lewullis to knock twice--so Lewullis drifts back out to the wing, cuts again, fields a bounce pass from center Steve Goodrich and makes the layup to give Princeton its 43-41 victory.

4 -- Connecticut's Tate George twists in a turnaround to defeat Clemson, 1990 East Regional semifinal. Huskies freshman Scott Burrell hurls a full-court inbounds pass with a second to play. George catches it in the right corner, turns and throws in the shot to give Connecticut a 71-70 victory and a date with ...

3 -- ... Duke and Christian Laettner, who beat UConn, 1990 East Regional final. With 2.6 seconds to play in overtime, Laettner inbounds from the frontcourt sideline, then takes a return pass and flicks home a double-pumped jumper for a 79-78 victory.

2 -- Laettner stuns Kentucky with a buzzer beater, 1992 East Regional final. After fielding Grant Hill's 75-foot pass, Laettner fakes left, turns right, then guides in a turnaround jumper that gives Duke a 104--103 overtime victory. The play becomes a touchstone in the debate over whether to guard the inbounder.

1 -- Bryce Drew of 13th-seeded Valparaiso beats No. 4 Mississippi, 1998 Midwest Regional first round. With 2.5 seconds to play, Bryce's dad, Crusaders coach Homer Drew, orders a play called Pacer. Jamie Sykes hurls an inbounds pass from the baseline to 6'6" Bill Jenkins, who's standing just past midcourt. Jenkins leaps to catch it and, before his feet hit the ground, flips the ball to Bryce Drew streaking up the right sideline. Drew's 23-footer swishes through to stun Ole Miss 70-69. --A.W.