Ohio State Buckeyes guard Aaron Craft (4) shoots the winning shot against Iowa State Cyclones forward Georges Niang (31) in the second half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at University of Dayton Arena. (Photo: Frank Victores, USA TODAY Sports) LOS ANGELES — When the buzzer-beating heroes of the NCAA tournament's first week, Ohio State's Aaron Craft and Marquette's Vander Blue, dive into the Sweet 16 Thursday night, Bryce Drew will be rooting for them. Drew has a special fondness for those players who make magic, who create some of the most indelible memories in sports: buzzer-beaters that win games in the NCAA tournament in dramatic, stunning ways, when defeat turns into victory, when there are zeroes on the clock and pandemonium on the court and in the stands. But Drew has one nit to pick about the so-called buzzer-beaters in this tournament. When Blue's driving layup put Marquette ahead of Davidson, there was one second left. When Craft's three-pointer put Ohio State ahead of Iowa State, there was half a second left. BRACKET BRIEFING: NCAA tournament breakdown NCAA TOURNAMENT: Updated bracket In both cases, the other team called timeout and had a chance at a desperation basket. "To me, it's more dramatic when there are zeroes on the clock," says Drew, now Valparaiso's coach. "When a shot ends the game, I always like those best." Such as 15 years ago, when Drew's three-pointer off a gorgeous in-bounds play lifted Valparaiso to a huge upset over Mississippi in the 1998 tournament? Or when Tyus Edney's mad-dash, length-of-the-court drive saved the day for UCLA against Missouri in 1995? Or when Christian Laettner caught Grant Hill's long pass and knocked down an 18-foot jumper to give Duke a one-point overtime win against Kentucky and a spot in the Final Four in 1992? HIGHLIGHTS: TOP MARCH MADNESS TEAMS OF ALL-TIME Zeroes on the clock every time. "I'm biased," Drew says, "but those are the top three I can remember." No arguments from Edney and Laettner, whose shots were part of national title runs. Drew's Cinderella shot put Valparaiso into the Sweet 16 for the only time in school history. There are others who have beaten buzzers in the tournament, too, and Edney thinks it would be a good idea to get them all together and have a round-table discussion of March Madness heroics. "Why not?" Laettner says. "If Shaq and Barkley (Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley) can sit around and talk about old times, why not get Tyus and Bryce and some of the others and talk about some great tournament shots?" They certainly have some great tales to tell. Drew, Edney and Laettner, in separate interviews with USA TODAY Sports, share some of them. 'Really had a peace about everything' Oklahoma City. First round, 1998. No.4 Mississippi vs. No.13 Valparaiso. Drew, a sharpshooting guard who was the Crusaders' best player and the son of coach Homer Drew, knew what was coming when his team was down by two with 2.5 seconds left. TOP MARCH MADNESS MOMENTS OF ALL-TIME Story Highlights
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