Jaden Bradley’s off-balance 17-foot jumper to beat the buzzer (and Iowa State) at the Big 12 Tournament has been celebrated by some as the most dramatic shot in UA basketball history.
Is it? Tough call. Even though Arizona has played in 100 NCAA Tournament games and in 39 NCAA Tournaments, the school doesn't have a clear and undeniable shot for the ages.
Nothing like BYU's Danny Ainge full-court race to the basket to beat Notre Dame as time expired in the 1981 NCAA Sweet 16. Nothing to match UCLA's Tyus Edney bolting 94 feet in 4.8 seconds to beat Missouri in a Round of 32 game, 75-74, the impetus for the Bruins' 1995 national championship.
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And nothing to compare to Duke's Christian Laettner's 18-foot turnaround jumper on a 70-foot pass, beating the buzzer and Kentucky in the ’92 Big Dance, impetus for the Blue Devils' national title.
The greatest shot in Arizona basketball history? There are three candidates, in my opinion.
1. Bradley's game-winner against the Cyclones in the Big 12 semifinals.
2. Craig McMillan’s historic "McMiracle at McKale" layup to beat Oregon State in January 1986, fuel for the UA's first-ever Pac-10 championship against reigning league powerhouse Oregon State, 63-62. Down by one with three seconds to play, Steve Kerr threw a 90-foot pass toward the UA basket. It ricocheted off Anthony Cook’s hand to McMillan, who drove uncontested for a game-winning layup with 0.3 seconds remaining. "There was no one in my way,'' said McMillan on a play Kerr called the "Home Run."
Arizona's Salim Stoudamire (20) celebrates as teammate Hassan Adams looks on after Stoudamire hit a shot with 2.8 seconds remaining against Oklahoma State in the second game of the Chicago Regional Semi-final at the All State Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, March 24, 2005. Stoudamire's shot helped Arizona defeat Oklahoma State 79-78.
3. Salim Stoudamire’s 12-foot jumper from the baseline to beat Oklahoma State 79-78 with 2.8 seconds remaining in the 2005 Sweet 16 in Chicago. "I knew when it came down to crunch time I was going to step up," said Stoudamire, who earlier in the year hit buzzer-beating 3-pointers to beat UCLA and ASU.
Yes, there are others. Miles Simon’s 60-footer at the buzzer to beat Cincinnati in 1996, giving Lute Olson his 500th career victory. Point guard Mark Lyons hit a driving layup at the buzzer to beat No. 5 Florida in 2012, and Jason Terry’s short jumper at the buzzer to beat No. 4 Stanford 78-76 in 1999 at McKale, prompting a rare court-storm by UA students. All worthy of mention.
Now comes Bradley's remarkable game-winner against Iowa State.
It might take another shot in the Bradley-Stoudamire-McMiracle category to get Arizona back to the Final Four this month.
5 takeaways from Arizona’s win over Iowa State in Big 12 Tournament semis | Michael Lev
