Mr. Big Shots: Jenkins Joined List of Buzzer-Beater Baskets in NCAA Final

Big games demand big plays such as junior Kris Jenkins' decisive three-pointer in the NCAA playoff title tilt. More than one-fourth of the NCAA Tournament's games were determined in overtime or in regulation by fewer than three points since the field expanded to at least 32 teams in 1975. Four riveting national finals in eight years from 1982 through 1989 furnished memories etched indelibly in our minds because clutch players appeared impervious to pressure by producing in last-second situations when a national crown was on the line.

Nothing compares to a late big play as the hallmark of success. The heroics down the stretch with a title in the balance usually don't come from the most likely source, however. The larger-than-life plays usually originate from undergraduates such as Jenkins hitting opponents with their best shots. The following look at the waning moments of the 10 vintage championship contests decided in the last half-minute by a buzzer-beater field goal or tension-packed free throw reveals the player supplying the decisive shot in the closing seconds neither was a senior nor the title team's leading scorer for the season or in the final game:

2016: Villanova 77, North Carolina 74 - On the heels of a miraculous, double-clutch game-tying three-pointer by Carolina's Marcus Paige with fewer than five ticks remaining, Jenkins nailed a trey off a nifty pass and brush screen by Final Four MOP Ryan Arcidiacono. Unsung hero Phil Booth Jr. led the Wildcats in scoring in the final with 20 points while Jenkins, Nova's #2 scorer on the season (13.6 ppg) behind Josh Hart, chipped in with 14.

1989: Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79 (OT) - Junior guard Rumeal Robinson, a 65.6% free-throw shooter on the season, canned two free throws with three seconds remaining in overtime following a questionable foul call. Robinson scored 21 points in the final to finish the season with a scoring average of 14.9 ppg. Forward Glen Rice was the Wolverines' leading scorer in the title game (31 points) and for the season (25.6 ppg).

1987: Indiana 74, Syracuse 73 - Junior college recruit Keith Smart, IU's fifth-leading scorer, tallied 12 of the Hoosiers' last 15 points, including a 15-foot jumper from the left baseline with five seconds remaining. Smart scored 21 points in the final to finish the season with a scoring mark of 11.2 ppg. Fellow guard Steve Alford was IU's leading scorer in the final (23 points) and for the season (22 ppg).

1983: North Carolina State 54, Houston 52 - Lorenzo Charles, a sophomore forward averaging a modest 8.1 ppg after scoring four points in the title game, converted guard Dereck Whittenburg's off-line desperation shot from well beyond the top of the free-throw circle into a decisive dunk. Forward Thurl Bailey was the Wolfpack's leading scorer in the final (15 points) and for the season (total of 601 for 16.7 ppg). Whittenburg, who missed 14 games after incurring a broken foot, led the team in scoring average (17.5 ppg).

1982: North Carolina 63, Georgetown 62 - Michael Jordan, a freshman guard who averaged 13.5 ppg after scoring 16 points in the title game, swished a 16-foot jumper from the left side with 16 seconds remaining to provide the game's final points. Georgetown guard Fred Brown's errant pass directly to Tar Heels forward James Worthy prevented the Hoyas from attempting a potential game-winning shot in the closing seconds. Worthy was Carolina's leading scorer in the final (28 points) and for the season (15.6 ppg).

1963: Loyola of Chicago 60, Cincinnati 58 (OT) - Junior forward Vic Rouse leaped high to redirect center Les Hunter's shot from the free-throw line into the basket to climax the Ramblers' first year in the playoffs. Rouse scored 15 points in the title tilt to finish the season with a scoring average of 13.5 ppg. Loyola, storming back from a 15-point deficit with 14 minutes remaining, is the only team to use only five players in the final. Hunter was Loyola's leading scorer in the final (16 points) and forward Jerry Harkness was the team's leading scorer for the season (21.4 ppg).

1959: California 71, West Virginia 70 - Two-time first-team All-American swingman Jerry West was denied an NCAA championship ring when Cal junior center Darrall Imhoff, West's future teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers for four seasons in the mid-1960s, tipped in a basket with 17 seconds remaining. Imhoff tossed in 10 points in the title game to finish the season with a scoring average of 11.3 ppg. Guard Denny Fitzpatrick was the Bears' leading scorer in the final (20 points) and for the season (13.3 ppg).

1957: North Carolina 54, Kansas 53 (3OT) - Junior center Joe Quigg sank two free throws with six seconds remaining in the third overtime to tie the score and provide the decisive point. Quigg scored 10 points in the title game to finish the season with an average of 10.3 ppg. Forward Lennie Rosenbluth was the Tar Heels' leading scorer in the final (20 points) and for the season (28 ppg).

1953: Indiana 69, Kansas 68 - Junior guard Bob Leonard supplied the decisive point by hitting one of two free throws with 27 seconds remaining. Leonard amassed 12 points in the title game to finish the season with a scoring average of 16.3 ppg. Center Dick Schlundt was the Hoosiers' leading scorer in the final (30 points) and for the season (25.4 ppg).

1944: Utah 42, Dartmouth 40 (OT) - Freshman swingman Herb Wilkinson nailed a desperation shot from beyond the head of the key with three ticks remaining. Wilkinson scored seven points in the title game to finish postseason competition with an average of 9 ppg. He became an NCAA consensus second-team All-American the next season for Iowa, where he played for three seasons. Freshman forward Arnie Ferrin was the Utes' leading scorer in the final (22 points) and for postseason play (14 ppg). Ferrin beame a consensus first-team All-American in 1945 and second-team All-American in 1947.