May 24, 2007
"The Shot" by Texas A&M's Acie Law against Texas in 2006 has been selected as the second greatest regular-season 3-pointer in NCAA history by Rivals.com.
The website also ranks the top 10 3-pointers in NCAA tournament history.
The 5 Greatest Regular-Season 3-pointers
(Rivals.com)
1. Capel's Prayer
Scene: Durham, N.C., Cameron Indoor Stadium, 1995
Time Remaining: 3 seconds
Score: North Carolina 95, Duke 92 OT
Situation: North Carolina's Serge Zwikker stepped to the free-throw line with a chance to seal a Tar Heels' win, but his attempt glanced off the right side of the rim and fell into the hands of Duke's Cherokee Parks.
The Shot: Parks quickly passed the ball to Jeff Capel, who raced upcourt with out any opposition - the rest of the Tar Heels were pulled off the free-throw line. Capel took two long steps across the half-court line and let fly a 35-footer on the run that found the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounded. The Tar Heels went on to win in the second overtime, but it is considered one of the greatest games ever, largely because of the miraculous shot.
Final Score: North Carolina 102, Duke 100 2 OT
2. The Law Won
Scene: College Station, Texas, Reed Arena, 2006
Time Remaining: 3 seconds
Score: No. 7 Texas 43, Texas A&M 43
Situation: With Texas A&M in desperate need of a big win to bolster its NCAA Tournament r?sum?, Texas' P.J. Tucker dribbled the ball around the perimeter as the shot clock expired. The Longhorns then quickly fouled Acie Law and the Aggies called a timeout.
The Shot: Texas A&M's Chris Walker threw the inbounds pass to Law, who got free with a crossover dribble and drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The win secured a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament and propelled the Aggies to their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1987.
Final score: Texas A&M 46, Texas 43
3. McNamiracle
Scene: New York City, Madison Square Garden, Big East Tournament 2006
Time Remaining: 6 seconds
Score: Cincinnati 73, Syracuse 71
Situation: With an NCAA Tournament bid likely up for grabs for Cincinnati and Syracuse, the Bearcats' Devan Downey stole an inbounds pass and was fouled. Downey made the first free throw and missed the second.
The Shot: Gerry McNamara dribbled the length of the court, weaved in between a pair of defenders and launched a runner from the top of the key over the outstretched hand of Jason Maxiell that went in with 0.5 seconds remaining. The Orange - thanks to many more heroics from McNamara - went on to become the lowest seed ever to win the Big East Tournament and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Final score: Syracuse 74, Cincinnati 73
4. Great Scott
Scene: Atlanta, Alexander Memorial Coliseum, 1989
Time Remaining: 5 seconds
Score: North Carolina 74, Georgia Tech 73
Situation: With North Carolina up 74-71, Georgia Tech's Karl Brown made a pair of free throws, cutting the Tar Heels' lead to one point.
The Shot: Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott stole the ball from UNC's Scott Williams on the left side of the court, turned around and hit a deep 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to give the Jackets a stunning upset.
Final score: Georgia Tech 76, North Carolina 74
5. Triple-Overtime Theatrics
Scene: Stillwater, Okla., Gallagher-Iba Arena, 2007
Time Remaining: 10.5 seconds
Score: No. 21 Texas 103, No. 12 Oklahoma State 102 3 OT
Situation: Texas freshman phenom Kevin Durant - who would go on to win consensus national player of the year honors - got fouled while making a putback and then hit the free throw to give the Longhorns a one-point lead.
The Shot: Oklahoma State's Mario Boggan caught the inbounds pass at midcourt, dribbled up the left side and stopped at the arc where he was met by a double team. Texas' D.J. Augustin pulled away from Boggan, creating an opening for the senior forward to bury a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining. That clinched a win for the Cowboys and put an end to one of the greatest games in Big 12 history. Durant and Boggan each finished with a career-high 37 points.
Final score: Oklahoma State 105, Texas 103 3OT