10 Worst Ways Teams Have Been Eliminated From The NCAA Tournament

SMU Mustangs UCLA Bruins controversial call 2015 NCAA Tournament — The agony of defeat is never so poignant than when it occurs during March Madness. The NCAA tournament elevates heroes from the ether, while devastating those that come up just oh so short. Here are 10 examples of where one team’s triumph became another’s instantaneous despair.

10. UCLA vs. SMU - 2015

Even by the letter of the law, this was a bad call that hurt the SMU Mustangs. This painful loss and the way it happened only compounds the fact that SMU was a tourney snub in 2014.

9. UCLA vs. Missouri - 1995

Tyus Edney’s coast-to-coast wizardry preserved the Bruins’ run to the title in 1995. It’s tough to believe the eventual champion came so close to becoming another March casualty.

8. Michigan State vs. Maryland - 2010

There isn’t a worse time to lose than at the buzzer. And just the way Michigan State’s Korie Lucious did it, really turns the knife with Maryland fans. The Spartans only needed two, went for three, and left the Terrapins zero on the clock.

7. UConn vs. Washington - 1998

It’s without a doubt that the collective Washington Huskies fan transcript read “just rebound the ball” as the UConn Huskies threw everything besides Jim Calhoun at the basket in the final seconds of this heart-breaking defeat.

6. West Virginia vs. Texas - 2006

The most lovable character of the 2006 NCAA tournament exited the big stage in the most crushing way possible. Just when you thought Kevin Pittsnogle earned West Virginia a berth into the Elite Eight, Texas hurriedly marches back down the floor and Kenton Paulino launches a dagger from deep, eliminating the Mountaineers.

5. Villanova vs. Pittsburgh - 2009

How this wasn’t a five-second violation on Villanova, I still don’t know. After taking nearly seven Mississippis to inbound the basketball, Scottie Reynolds went coast-to-coast a la Tyus Edney and exterminated the Panthers.

4. NC State vs. Houston - 1983

This is basically the exact opposite of what happened to SMU in 2015. Not only weren’t the Wolfpack penalized, but rewarded. This improvisational alley-oop earned NC State the 1983 national title.

3. Arkansas vs. Louisville - 1981

Ulysses Reed looked like he could barely dribble the basketball, let alone drain a 50-footer. Yet, it would be the Arkansas Razorbacks, not the Louisville Cardinals advancing to the Sweet Sixteen off this huge swing in fortune.

2. Duke vs. Kentucky - 1992

Christian Laettner is loathed by many, and this shot may be the genesis of the hatred. Laettner knew exactly how much time was on the clock, and knew exactly how long it would take to shake, bake, and bury this 15-footer.

1. UConn vs. Clemson - 1990

Tate George hit a buzzer beater to send the UConn Huskies past the Clemson Tigers in the third round of the 1990 NCAA tournament. There was just one second on the clock when the play began, and no life left in Clemson when it was over.