An All-Time March Madness Moment Happened 15 Years Ago Today

March Madness is when heroes are made and legends are born. Fifteen years ago, UConn point guard Kemba Walker etched his name into college basketball lore.

In 2011, Walker led the Huskies to improbable conference and national championship wins, reeling off 11 consecutive victories through the Big East and NCAA Tournaments. Walker's most iconic moment during that run occurred 15 years ago today in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

'Killer Kemba' beats the buzzer

The No. 9 seed in the Big East Tournament that year, UConn had little trouble with 16th-seeded DePaul or No. 8 seed Georgetown in the first two rounds of the event. But in the quarters against top-seeded Pitt, which would earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Huskies faced a much tougher challenge.

The two rivals battled all game in a back and forth affair, with Walker and Jeremy Lamb dueling Pitt's backcourt of Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker. With the score tied at 74, UConn held the ball for the final possession of regulation.

There was no one else but Walker to take the final shot. After a ball screen from teammate Jamal Coombs-McDaniel got Walker switched onto Panthers center Gary McGhee, the All-American guard went to work, eventually juking McGhee to the floor before burying a stepback jump shot as time expired.

15 years ago today, Kemba Walker calls game: pic.twitter.com/6OQA9lUPyJ

— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) March 10, 2026

Walker's shot helped fuel miracle run

By this point, it was clear UConn had something special working. The Huskies squeaked past Syracuse in overtime in the semifinals the following night before edging Louisville by three to win the Big East Tournament.

Given the No. 3 seed in the West Region in the Big Dance, UConn blazed past Bucknell and Cincinnati into the Sweet 16. There, "Killer Kemba" led his team past Kawhi Leonard and San Diego State before surviving Arizona in the regional final.

In the Final Four, the Huskies held off John Calipari's Kentucky team before posting a 12-point win in the national championship against Butler, which was making its second-straight title game appearance under Brad Stevens.

A lasting legacy

UConn would go on to win an even more unlikely national championship as a No. 7 seed three years later, and the Huskies claimed back-to-back titles under Dan Hurley in 2023 and 2024.

Since 1999, UConn has won six national championships under three different head coaches, but none produced more individual drama than its 2011 march (no pun intended) led by Walker.