The best games you didn't see in 2018

It was a Big 12 thriller in early January when the Longhorns defeated TCU 99-98 in double overtime. Horned Frogs guard Jaylen Fisher missed a wide-open layup at the buzzer that would have won the game after teammate Vladimir Brodziansky made a jumper to force double OT in a true back-and-forth battle.

Another great game in the Bedlam Series featured 48 points from Sooners star Trae Young. Despite his great game, Oklahoma State still got a much-needed home win, 83-81, in overtime with Jeffrey Carroll leading the way with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

The Rockets had plenty of momentum after adding Chris Paul, and fans started to really believe after they took down the Warriors in late January. Paul starred with 33 points and 11 rebounds, and the Rockets dominated down the stretch for a 116-108 win.

Harris was able to end a thrilling 127-124 game by making a three-pointer at the buzzer over OKC star Russell Westbrook. The winning shot came after OKC stormed back to close a 15-point deficit to start the final quarter.

It was a game that no one wanted to lose, but the 22-6 Bonnies barely survived a late February challenge by 17-10 Davidson. The game included a whopping 75 three-point attempts, and Davidson forward Peyton Aldridge scored 45 points, but St. Bonaventure was able to withstand the challenge, led by 34 points from Jaylen Adams.

Nashville and Winnipeg played a wild game in late February featuring 11 goals. Predators defenseman Roman Josi starred with five assists, and the game was capped off by a Ryan Hartman goal with just one minute remaining to win.

2018 will be a memorable year for Ovechkin, as he not only won the Stanley Cup but he also scored his 600th goal. The latter feat happened on March 12 in a great overtime win vs. Winnipeg, as he scored two goals to help the Caps win 3-2.

UConn entered the NCAA Tournament undefeated yet again, but for the second straight year the Huskies were bounced out in the Final Four. They went to overtime in a thriller vs. Notre Dame before Arike Ogunbowale hit a game-winning shot for the Fighting Irish with one second left to win 91-89.

Trailing 8-3 in the ninth inning, Cleveland scored five runs on Houston to send the game to extra innings. A Greg Allen home run sent fans home happy in the 14th inning with a 10-9 win.

Kris Bryant missed much of last season with a shoulder injury, but minor league call-up David Bote did a fantastic job filling in. That was an understatement given the result. The Cubs trailed Washington 3-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and the bases loaded. Bote launched a grand slam to give the Cubs a 4-3 win.

It was a long night for fans in Cincinnati, including a 27-minute rain delay and 25 runs scored. As was the case for much of the year for the Reds' pitching staff, they just couldn't put the Brewers away. Christian Yelich hit for the cycle, as the Brewers came back from a 10-6 deficit in the sixth inning to win 13-12 in 10 innings.

New Sun Devils head coach Herm Edwards was looking to make a statement, and he did just that to send Arizona State to 2-0 with an upset of Michigan State. It was a low-scoring battle that saw Arizona State close a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 16-13 on a 28-yard field goal.

If the Eagles were to point to when their season went sideways this year, it might be their Week 4 visit to Tennessee. They led 17-3 in the third quarter, but Marcus Mariota and Co. came storming back to take the lead 20-17 with 5:01 left in the fourth. Jake Elliott forced overtime with a game-tying field goal before the go-ahead field goal in overtime, but a 10-yard pass from Mariota to Corey Davis gave the Titans a surprising 26-23 win.

Jon Gruden picked up his first win of the year against the Browns, but it was not without controversy. The refs overruled a fumble recovery by the Browns late in the game, saying Derek Carr's forward progress was stopped. Oakland went on to tie the game at 42 with 30 seconds left, capping off a 21-point fourth quarter and sending the game to overtime. Matt McCrane kicked the game-winner with just 1:46 left in overtime to win 45-42.

The Cyclones were in big trouble going into Stillwater with a 1-3 record. What ensued was a classic Big 12 battle that had 90 points, as new quarterback Brock Purdy saved the day throwing for 318 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-42 win. Since then Iowa State has lost only one game with Purdy at the helm.

The Week 5 matchup between the Panthers and Giants featured a bit of everything, including an Odell Beckham Jr. touchdown pass, a special teams touchdown by the Panthers on a punt that went off Beckham's leg and a 63-yard field goal. The latter feat by Gano won the game for the Panthers 33-31.

The prospects of a Miami win were looking dire after the Bears took a 21-10 lead in the third quarter, especially with Brock Osweiler under center for the Dolphins. However, Osweiler completed a pair of long touchdowns to Albert Wilson in the fourth quarter, including a 75-yarder with 3:01 left, to send the game to overtime. Kenyan Drake fumbled a third-and-goal opportunity at the 1-yard line in overtime that would have won the game, but Miami was able to get the ball back and kick a field goal as time expired to win 31-28.

Kentucky's offense was lackluster, to say the least, but came up big when it counted. Trailing 14-3 going into the fourth quarter, the Wildcats got a touchdown on a punt return and then one last opportunity at the end of the game trailing 14-9. A highly controversial pass interference in the end zone gave Kentucky an untimed down, allowing a Terry Wilson to C.J. Conrad touchdown pass for a 15-14 victory. 

It was a classic Big 12 scoring fest when West Virginia traveled to Texas. The Longhorns led 28-27 at halftime, and the scoring continued into the second half. Texas took the lead 41-34 with 2:34 remaining in the game, but Grier completed a 33-yard pass to Gary Jennings Jr. with 16 seconds remaining. Going for broke, the Mountaineers completed a two-point conversion to win 42-41. 

The football rivalry between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State has featured some great games recently, but this year's is near the top of the list. The offenses dominated, with the Sooners totaling 702 yards to Oklahoma State's 640. The teams went toe-to-toe with back-and-forth scores. Tylan Wallace caught a touchdown with 1:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy opted to go for two instead of tying the game with an extra point. The two-pointer failed, giving the Sooners a 48-47 win.

If Dwayne Haskins wins the Heisman this year, we'll look back at this game. The Ohio State quarterback came up huge in a 52-51 overtime win by the Buckeyes, throwing for 405 yards and three touchdowns, along with three more scores on the ground. His heroics included a touchdown pass to tie the game in regulation with only 40 seconds left. Maryland had a chance to tie the game in overtime but failed on a two-point conversion.