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The unexpected heroes of the NCAA Tournament
Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports

The unexpected heroes of the NCAA Tournament

Each and every year, there are unexpected heroes that rise to the occasion in the NCAA Tournament. Whether these athletes were role players on higher ranked teams or the leaders of some of the greatest Cinderella stories in men's college basketball, they deserve recognition.

Here are some of the most unexpected heroes in NCAA Tournament history.

 
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Lorenzo Charles

Lorenzo Charles
Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Most believed that the NC State Wolfpack would need a miracle to upset Houston University (led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler) in the 1983 NCAA Tournament Final. They got one. With the game in its final seconds, NC State center Lorenzo Charles caught a Dereck Whittenburg airball and dunked it home as time expired to win the title for the Wolfpack. Charles' dunk is perhaps the greatest moment in tournament history.

 
2 of 23

Harold Jensen

Harold Jensen
Collegiate Images/Getty Images

Coming into the 1985 national championship game against Georgetown, Harold Jensen was little more than a backup for Rollie Massimino’s Villanova Wildcats. Then in the title game, Jensen came to life, scoring 14 points and hitting the two free throws that sealed the game and won 'Nova its first basketball title in school history.

 
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Bo Kimble

Bo Kimble
Mike Powell/Getty Images

After the tragic death of his teammate Hank Gathers, Loyola Marymount University forward Bo Kimble took it upon his shoulders to lead his grief-stricken team. Kimble, who began shooting free throws left-handed in honor of his fallen teammate, led No. 11-seeded LMU all the way to the Elite Eight in the 1990 tournament.

 
4 of 23

Curtis Blair

Curtis Blair
Ned Dishman/Getty Images

Now an official in the NBA, Curtis Blair is one of the most unlikely heroes in NCAA Tournament history. Blair was the leader of the No. 15-seeded Richmond University Spiders team that pulled off one of the greatest upsets in tournament history, defeating the second seed Syracuse Orange in the first round of the 1991 tournament.

 
5 of 23

Mamadi Diakite

Mamadi Diakite
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia's final three games of the 2019 NCAA tournament were as thrilling as they come, but it was the Cavaliers' battle with Purdue in the Elite Eight that had one of the best moments in tournament history. Down three with 5.9 seconds remaining in regulation, Ty Jerome sank the first to two free throws. He missed the second and Diakite tapped the rebound to half court. Kihei Clark ran it down, took two dribbles and fired a pass back to Diakite, who quickly tossed up a shot that went in at the buzzer. Virginia would go on to win, 80-75 in overtime. 

 
6 of 23

James Forrest

James Forrest
John Biever/Getty Images

With less than a second remaining in the second round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, Georgia Tech found itself down by two points to the second-seeded USC Trojans. After catching an inbounds pass from mid-court, Georgia Tech's James Forrest heaved up an improbable three at the buzzer to upset the Trojans. It was a stunning upset win for the Yellow Jackets.

 
7 of 23

Tyus Edney

Tyus Edney
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

With No. 1 seed UCLA down by a point to No. 8 Missouri in the second round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament, Tyus Edney became a UCLA legend. Instead of giving the ball to star player Ed O’Bannon for the final shot, Edney raced down the court with 4.8 seconds remaining and banked the game-winning shot at the buzzer. UCLA went on to win the national title that year.

 
8 of 23

Gabe Lewullis

Gabe Lewullis
Vince Compagnone/Getty Images

Facing off against the No. 4 seed UCLA Bruins in the 1996 NCAA Tournament, Princeton University guard Gabe Lewullis made a play he’ll remember for the rest of his life. With the game tied at 41, Lewullis made a backdoor cut and banked in the layup that sunk the defending national champion Bruins.

 
9 of 23

God Shammgod

God Shammgod
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Besides having one of the greatest names in sports history, Providence guard God Shammgod led the No. 10-seeded Providence Friars all the way to the Elite Eight in the 1997 NCAA Tournament. Shammgod’s most heroic moments came in a second-round matchup against Duke, where he made several key plays to lead the Friars to an upset win.

 
10 of 23

Bryce Drew

Bryce Drew
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

In the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, No. 13 seed Valparaiso University was down by two points to No. 4 Ole Miss with 2.5 seconds remaining. Miraculously, Valpo threw a full-court pass that made its way into the hands of guard Bryce Drew, who shot and made the game-winning three-pointer as time expired. Drew’s shot to give Valpo the upset win was one of the most wild, unexpected and exciting moments in tournament history.

 
11 of 23

Harold Arceneaux

Harold Arceneaux
Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports

Nicknamed by his teammates “The Show,” Weber State guard Harold Arceneaux lived up to his billing in the first round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament. Arceneaux scored a game-high 36 points, leading 14th-seeded Weber State to a shocking win over third-seeded North Carolina.

 
12 of 23

Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Although he’s best known in the sports world as Chargers star tight end Antonio Gates, when he was attending Kent State he was a star in basketball as well. In fact, Gates led Kent State all the way to Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed, upsetting Oklahoma State, Alabama and Pittsburgh along the way.

 
13 of 23

Kevin Pittsnogle

Kevin Pittsnogle
Sean Brady/Getty Images

When the 2004-05 season began for West Virginia, center Kevin Pittsnogle was a backup. When the 2005 NCAA Tournament began, Pittsnogle became WVU’s best player. He led the Mountaineers to the Elite Eight, where they lost in overtime to Louisville, 93-85, despite a team-high 25 points from Pittsnogle. Still, Pittsnogle’s effort that March has made him a cult figure in West Virginia basketball lure.

 
14 of 23

T.J. Sorrentine

T.J. Sorrentine
Sporting News Archive/Getty Images

Facing off against No. 4 seed Syracuse in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, No. 13 seed Vermont found itself in an overtime game with a chance for an upset. Up by one point with a little over a minute remaining, Vermont guard T.J. Sorrentine hit a three-pointer from about 35 feet out that gave Vermont a lead it would not relinquish.

 
15 of 23

Jai Lewis

Jai Lewis
Sporting News Archive/Getty Images

George Mason University’s 2006 selection to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team was maligned by critics as unwarranted. George Mason forward Jai Lewis shut those critics up. Lewis led the No. 11 seed Patriots all the way to the Final Four, defeating basketball powerhouses Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut along the way.

 
16 of 23

Lee Humphrey

Lee Humphrey
Sporting News Archive/Getty Images

The back-to-back title-winning Florida Gators teams of 2006 and 2007 featured future NBA All-Stars Joakim Noah and Al Horford, but without a diminutive guard by the name of Lee Humphrey, those Florida teams don’t win those titles. Humphrey gave coach Billy Donovan a player who could stretch the floor and step up and hit big shots from outside when his team needed it most.

 
17 of 23

Ty Rogers

Ty Rogers
Doug Benc/Getty Images

Down by a point with five seconds remaining, Western Kentucky had one last chance to upset five seed Drake University in 2008. After guard Tyrone Brazelton frantically dribbled the ball up the court, he laid the ball off to his teammate Ty Rogers, who hit one of most dramatic buzzer-beating, three-point shots in college basketball history.

 
18 of 23

Ali Farokhmanesh

Ali Farokhmanesh
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

When the 2010 NCAA Tournament began, Northern Iowa University guard Ali Farokhmanesh wasn’t exactly a household name. Then in the second round of the tournament, he hit a crucial three-pointer that helped defeat No. 1 overall seed Kansas in a shocking upset. Farokhmanesh’s heroics even earned him a spot on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

 
19 of 23

Omar Samhan

Omar Samhan
Jim Rogash/Getty Images

In the 2010 NCAA Tournament, St. Mary’s College center Omar Samhan gained national recognition by leading the No. 10-seeded Gaels to an unlikely Sweet 16 appearance. Samhan averaged over 30 points for the Gaels in their two upset victories, including a win over No. 2 seed powerhouse Villanova.

 
20 of 23

Jamie Skeen

Jamie Skeen
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

When the 2011 NCAA Tournament began, no one in his or her right mind had 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth University making it to the Final Four. Led by forward Jamie Skeen, VCU shocked the world, winning the Southwest Regional by beating the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks, which featured multiple future NBA players. It was Skeen, however, who was the best player on the court that night, scoring a game-high 26 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

 
21 of 23

Matt Howard

Matt Howard
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Although current NBA players Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack are recognized most as the key players who led Butler University to two improbable Final Four appearances, without big man Matt Howard, Butler never makes those remarkable runs. Howard was tasked by head coach Brad Stevens with guarding opponents' top big men, protecting the rim and controlling the paint. Also contributing on offense, Howard was one of the unsung heroes of the Butler Final Four teams of just a few years ago.

 
22 of 23

Luke Maye

Luke Maye
Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Usually a school like North Carolina has a slew of highly recruited players at the ready to get a game-winning shot. In 2017, Luke Maye (who barely snuck into the ESPN 100, at 97) hit a long jumper to give North Carolina a 75-73 lead with 0.3 left in their Elite Eight game against Kentucky. Maye, a sophomore, averaged just 5.5 points that season and wouldn't score in the Final Four or the national championship game. 

 
23 of 23

Thomas Walkup

Thomas Walkup
Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports

As a 14 seed, few gave Stephen F. Austin a chance to defeat three seed West Virginia in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Enter Thomas Walkup, who became the first-round darling. Walkup led the Lumberjacks to a decisive 70-56 victory over the Mountaineers, putting up 33 points, nine rebounds, five steals and four assists. He was brilliant in the second game against Notre Dame as well, notching 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and a block, but his team came up just short of another upset, losing 76-75.

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