Greatest announcer calls in NCAA Tournament history

Every year during March Madness, we see memorable moments that are unforgettable for years to come. Part of what makes these moments so iconic is the electrifying calls that become synonymous with the play itself.

From championship-winning plays to incredible upsets, let’s look at the four greatest announcer calls in tournament history.

Kevin Harlan - Furman upsets Virginia in the First Round

After a 43-year drought, Furman made the NCAA Tournament in 2023, looking for their second-ever win in the big dance.

Down by four points with 12 seconds remaining, Garrett Hien made two free throws for the Paladins to cut the deficit in half. What happened next can only be described as a miracle.

After getting trapped in the corner on the ensuing inbounds pass, Virginia guard Kihei Clark launched a pass to halfcourt that was intercepted by Hien. Hien then threw a quick pass to JP Pegues, who buried a game-winning three-pointer with just two seconds remaining.

In a moment containing ecstasy, heartbreak, and pure hysteria, Kevin Harlan screamed the question that the millions of people watching were wondering: “Did we just see what we think we just saw?!”

As rhetorical as the question may seem, it was legitimate. It had felt more likely that what just transpired was merely an illusion played on the millions of eyes watching the game, rather than Furman having actually pulled off this improbable upset.

The cherry on top of this iconic call was color commentator Stan Van Gundy, as the man who is never at a loss of words was left to just lean back in his chair, mouth agape, still processing what had taken place.

Jim Nantz: Jalen Suggs sends Gonzaga to the Championship

Spoiler: This will not be the last time you see Nantz’s name on this list.

In a game unlike no other, in a season unlike no other, the legendary Jim Nantz turned an all-time play into a storied memory.

The 2021 Final Four was the first of its kind to be played in a largely empty arena. Since this was the first tournament after the COVID-19 pandemic, undefeated, top-seeded Gonzaga and 11-seeded UCLA battled it out in front of trainers, team personnel, and cardboard cutouts in the stands.

As the clock wound down in overtime, UCLA’s Johnny Juzang rebounded his own miss to score and tie the game at 90 with 3.3 seconds remaining. Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert quickly inbounded the ball to Jalen Suggs, where Nantz’s call began.

“Gonzaga, has time to do something…”

Suggs quickly dribbled up the right sideline before darting towards the middle of the court, pulling up from just inside halfcourt.

“Suggs, for the win…”

The ball was released in plenty of time, with over half a second still on the game clock. The shot was a line drive, heading straight for the box on the backboard. Right when he shot it, Suggs drifted towards the left sideline. He knew it was on line. He knew it had the distance. He knew it was going in.

“OH YES! OH YES! UNBELIEVABLE! UNBELIEVABLE! The perfect season remains on go!”

What made this call special was its isolation. There was little cheering, yelling or echo from the crowd. It was just Nantz. It was as if he had to make up for the lack of atmosphere by generating enough excitement for a million fans. And that he did.

Verne Lundquist: Christian Laettner hits “The Shot”

The 1992 Elite Eight contest between Kentucky and Duke is regarded as one of the greatest college basketball games of all time, and for very good reason.

In the game’s overtime period, both blue bloods went back and forth, answering each bucket with a more impressive one on the other end.

With 7.8 seconds remaining and Duke ahead 102-101, Kentucky guard Sean Woods shook his defender on the perimeter, drove into the lane and took a heavily contested, one-handed push shot that banked in with just two seconds remaining.

This miraculous go-ahead shot prompted the announcer Verne Lundquist to blurt out an emphatic “YES” before letting the fans in the Spectrum Arena take over (directly foreshadowing what’s to come).

After a timeout, Duke’s Grant Hill inbounded the ball on their own sideline, 94 feet from the basket. Hill uncorked a baseball pass to the opposite free-throw line, where forward Christian Laettner caught it with his back turned to the hoop.

Laetnner was very familiar with hitting big shots. Two years ago, as a sophomore, his Duke team was in a very familiar situation: Down by one in the Elite Eight, possession of the ball with two seconds left. In that game, Laettner inbounded the ball, got it back and drained an off-balanced jumper to advance to the Final Four.

Now he was attempting to do the same thing. With the ball at the free-throw line, Laettner dribbled right, spun left and hit a fadeaway shot as the buzzer sounded.

Like he had done moments prior, Lundquist (slightly more emphatically) let out the one-word exclaim: “YES!”

He then let the sights and sounds speak for themselves. Camera shots darted back and forth between Duke’s players celebrating and Kentucky players in shock. Seas of fans were seen either jumping for joy or with their face in their hands.

It was a moment that needed little explanation, and Verne Lundquist understood that perfectly. The idea that sometimes less is more could not have rang more true.

Jim Nantz - Kris Jenkins for the National Championship

If you’ve ever watched college basketball, it’s almost a guarantee you have seen this play.

Perfect is the only word to describe the 2016 National Championship between the University of North Carolina and Villanova. The game was back and forth for the first 30 minutes, with no team having larger than a seven-point lead.

With 5:29 remaining, two Villanova free throws gave the Wildcats a 10-point lead. This was immediately followed by multiple North Carolina scoring spurts that culminated with a 74-71 Villanova lead with 13 seconds left.

Even if the game had ended here, it would’ve been considered a great, almost perfect national championship. However, the fun was just beginning.

North Carolina point guard Marcus Paige was given the ball down three, tasked with creating a game-tying shot. After nearly losing the ball, Paige went up for a deep three, pumped the ball mid-air to avoid a Ryan Arcidiacono closeout, and canned one of the clutchest shots in college basketball history.

If North Carolina had used that shot to propel them towards a win, it would’ve been the perfect game.

After a Villanova timeout, 4.7 seconds still remained. Arcidiacono got the ball and raced up the court with Kris Jenkins trailing him. After getting to the three-point line, the ball was flipped back to Jenkins, who stepped into the biggest shot of his life.

“Jenkins, for the championship…”

Unlike Nantz’s call on Jalen Suggs’ game-winner, this game had a loaded crowd. The building was buzzing with anticipation, but when the shot went up, everything seemed to go quiet. Then, seemingly in an instant, the perfect game was completed.

“YES! VILLANOVA! PHENOMENAL! THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!”

The buzzer had sounded. The crowd erupted. Jim Nantz and Bill Raftery went hysterical. Confetti popped and showered the court.

There could not have been a more perfect call to capture the perfect ending to the perfect game. I told you perfect was the only word you could use.

Brendan Kern is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bwk5372@psu.edu.