The 10 Best Plays in College Basketball From the Last 10 Years
It’s going to be damn tough to have a better ending to the college basketball season than what we saw in 2015-16. The Kris Jenkins buzzer beater to win the national championship was the best shot arguably in college basketball history.
So it got me thinking. What are some of the other great plays in recent memory? I decided to go with 10 years so it’s plays everyone should remember and limit trying to guess what happened in the 70s and such. Although, there’s no better play in college basketball history than Randolph Childress making Jeff McInnis look like a fool while Dean Smith wanted him to be called for a technical. Just a reminder, here’s this gem:
So this is the list of the 10 best plays over the last 10 years in the sport. This is in no specific order, though Jenkins going #bang on UNC would easily be the best. Let me know what I missed @barstoolreags
Ali Farokhmanesh is Cold Blooded vs Kansas – March 20, 2010
A running theme here will be a lot of these plays are late in the game and in March. This play is by far what every diminutive white guy has practiced. The calm stutter step into a deadly three. But, let’s take a look at the press break by UNI. Kansas decides to go with a man on the ball and go man-to-man everywhere else. Morris goes to trap on the inbound and that’s where UNI is able to take advantage. They immediately pass it back to the inbounder, switching sides and forcing Kansas to scramble. After that, there’s the gamble on the steal letting UNI go 2v1. The Kansas defender actually does the right thing by faking at Farokhmanesh and playing the passing lane and protecting the hoop at the same time. However that jab step lets Farokhmanesh get comfortable and step into a wide open three. Tons of balls on that kid to shoot and drill that.
Scottie Reynolds Sends Villanova to Final Four – March 28, 2009
Back when the Big East had everyone in it, March 28, 2009 was a day where Villanova fans thought they were going to see the best play of their time. Again, we saw a great play design by Jay Wright with just under six seconds to go. After the made free throw Nova almost looks as if they are panicking. However, the pass to Dante Cunningham sets it all up. The pass is high and to the outside, almost as if Cunningham is a wide receiver. He immediately touch passes it to a streaking Reynolds where he gets to go to work. Without hesitation he puts the ball on the ground and starts dribbling toward the top of the key. Once there he gets his crossover as the Pitt defender reaches. Knowing Pitt didn’t want to foul with no time left, he jumps into the last defender, getting him a couple inches closer to the basket. Pitt still hasn’t sniffed a Final Four.
Kemba Dances with Gary McGhee – March 10, 2011
Ah, the days of the old Big East. Ah, the days of Pitt suffering another devastating play. This time it was Kemba Walker and one of the more famous crossover/stepbacks I’ve ever seen. For whatever reason Pitt switches Gary McGhee onto Kemba as you can see right off the bat they are trying to get a guard back on him. Seeing the lack of the switch, Kemba takes a couple dribbles to his right. At the same time you can see Jim Calhoun calling for everyone on UConn to get the hell away and run a spread offense. I can only imagine how big Kemba’s eyes got when he saw he had pretty much the whole lane to his advantage. He’s able to get a couple dribbles with McGhee playing off of him to set up his cross. That’s step 1. McGhee actually does a decent job on the first cross, getting put back a little but uses his length to keep his hand in Kemba’s face. Then it comes time to dance. The stepback dribble sends McGhee flying into New Jersey as Kemba, calmly pulls up and drills the game winner.
Aaron Harrison From the Same Spot – April 5, 2014
One of the best games from last decade gives us an incredible game winner. Aaron Harrison, who hit the identical shot in the Elite Eight against Michigan sent home yet another Big 10 team with a deadly three. Trailing by two with 11 seconds to go, Kentucky had the ball and let Andrew Harrison drive the lane. After Dakari Johnson mishandled the original pass, he kicks it back out to Andrew Harrison in the corner. With Kaminsky closing on him, he quickly gets it to Aaron Harrison on the wing with about 9 seconds left. You can see in the video, Andrew telling his brother to shoot. After a little jab step to the right, Harrison pulled up from deep and delivered one of the best three game late-game shooting stretches we’ve seen.
Mario Chalmers Sends Championship to OT – April 7, 2008
After Derrick Rose had his first free throw rim out, there was hope for Kansas in the 2008 championship game. When Memphis decided not to foul up three and less than 10 seconds left, there was more than hope. Collins is able to get in front of Rose as he gets the ball up the court, which was problem number 2 after deciding not to foul. With only a couple seconds taken off the clock, Kansas runs a rub screen handoff with Chalmers cutting behind a falling Collins. Collins delivers the perfect pass and after one dribble to set himself up, Chalmers is able to get a clean look at three as Rose is a second too late. Always foul up three, kids.
Kris Jenkins and #Bang – April 4, 2016
There’s a lot going on here. First if you’re UNC and not going to put a guy on the inbounder what the hell are you doing not picking him up as he runs down the court? The defense by Carolina here was suspect at best. Watch the video. First off, Brice Johnson is guarding no one. Again, that’s fine because they took away the drive. But, he was playing too far in the lane. That prevented him from helping on a pull up jumper or a three. Isaiah Hicks, who should have been guarding Kris Jenkins, goes under the dribble handoff. That allows Jenkins an absolutely clean look at a three that he’s stepping into. Hicks never should have went and tried to double Arch, knowing he had Johnson standing in the paint. From the Nova standpoint it was yet another beautiful play design. Getting the ball to the guy Wright trusts the most and giving him options. The high ball screen by Ochefu confused the defense just enough to let him put his shoulder down and look as if he was going to drive. He then had the option for the skip pass to Josh Hart, take his own shot or what we saw. Also, Jenkins ran that play perfectly. He never crossed the center of the court, allowing him and Arcidiacono space to create. That is one of the reasons that caused Hicks to go under the handoff.
Christian Watford Says Indiana is Back (Kinda) – December 10, 2011
One of the best rivalries in the sport saw one of the most memorable regular season endings over this last decade. In a game where there was no massive lead, Kentucky had a 2-point lead with just a couple seconds left. What happened next was a lot like the Memphis/Kansas game. Suspect defense and a great play design. First, there’s the screen in the backcourt, which gives Indiana an extra second as Kentucky is scrambling in the frontcourt. MKG and Anthony Davis get mixed up as the ball crosses halfcourt as MKG runs to his man instead of staying on the trailing Watford. Watford is then able to step into a three and a clean look at the buzzer. Because they beat No. 1 Kentucky this shot got a statute, popcorn boxes and I’m pretty sure Watford is the mayor of Bloomington. It showed Indiana is back – until the Sweet 16 at least.
RJ Hunter Makes His Dad Fall Out of His Chair – March 19, 2015
In what was the worst day of basketball for the Big 12, RJ Hunter delivered the final nail in the coffin. After a missed free throw (yet another running theme here) Georgia State was able to get the ball in their best players hands in the backcourt. After calmly bringing the ball over the halfcourt line Georgia State set up a play where he had the option to use a screen on either side. As he went right, Baylor collapsed bringing three guys on him. He smartly passed it to the screener before cutting back behind him, using him as a screener again essentially. Hunter got the ball back on a touch pass and had a clean yet deep look at three. Swish.
Austin Rivers At the Buzzer in Front of Doc – February 8, 2012
Seriously, stop missing free throws. This time it was Tyler Zeller of UNC to miss and one of the 42 Plumlee’s to get the rebound. Once again due to a lack of pressure, Duke got the ball into the hands of Austin Rivers with ease. He was able to comfortably bring the ball up the court as UNC didn’t want to get burnt – one of the more dumb things college coaches do honestly. The play design was for Rivers the whole way as Plumlee sets a very fundamental screen at the top of the key. Duke gets the switch as Zeller steps out onto Rivers. There’s some slight action away from the ball, but for the most part it was all on the screen. Rivers steps back to evaluate where Zeller is before drilling the three.
Korie Lucious at the Buzzer – March 21, 2010
This time it wasn’t a missed free throw. Hell, it wasn’t even awful defense. It was just a damn good shot by Korie Lucious to send Michigan State to the Sweet 16 in 2010. After Vasquez hits a runner, Michigan State gets the ball to Draymond Green to push the floor. He gets the ball to the frontcourt in about three seconds, where Lucious is trailing the play open. Green is able to find him as Roe sets the screen for Lucious. He’s able to gather his feet after one dribble and get a clean look from straight away to hit the game winner. The only problem for Maryland would be the lack of stepping up on Lucious – but you’re playing in a one-point game or the initial flinch by the defender when Lucious catches the ball. Either way this was the play that essentially ended Gary Williams at Maryland.