It happens ALL THE TIME in the NCAA Tournament. These buzzer-beating marvels occur often enough that if opening day in a given year transpires without one, people actually gripe about the absence of the miraculous. If you look back on some of the greatest of these NCAA moments, you’ll see they had much in common with the interception by the Patriots’ Malcolm Butler to clinch victory for the Patriots: poor strategic choices, great strategic choices, good fortune and at least one great athletic play.

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1. 2009: Villanova 78, Pitt 76, East Region final

Hero: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova

Play: Goes coast-to-coast for last-second floater to break a 76-all tie.

Strategic error: After Levance Fields makes the free throw to tie the game with 5.5 seconds left, he sets in a position guarding no one and nearby teammate Jermaine Dixon takes what is called a “three quarters” position often used to deny entry passes into the low post. When the ball is inbounded over all their heads to Dante Cunningham, Reynolds surges forward to catch a touch pass and Fields and Dixon immediately are out of the play. Sam Young, who was behind Cunningham, doesn’t have time to recover, either. So Pitt has two players defending the entire frontcourt as Reynolds attacks.

2. 2008: Western Kentucky 101, Drake 99, Round of 64

Hero: Ty Rogers, Western Kentucky

Play: Takes dribble feed from point guard Tyrone Brazelton, shoots in a 30-foot 3-pointer to beat the Bulldogs in overtime.

Strategic error: As often happens, the Drake players forget about the guy who inbounded the ball. Having to guard against all possibilities because a 2-pointer would beat them, the Bulldogs focus hard on Brazelton and also on avoiding a foul because a 1-point lead would be erased by two free throws. Brazelton finds three defenders nearby when he dribbles to the 3-point line, but none of them is in position to react to Rogers sneaking in from behind to accept Brazelton’s soft pitch right into his shooting pocket.

3. 2013: Ohio State 78, Iowa State 75, Round of 32

Hero: Aaron Craft, Ohio State

Play: Pull-up 3-pointer that connects with less than 1 second remaining to complete comeback victory over the Cyclones.

Strategic error: Craft maintains his dribble throughout the final possession, guarded by reserve Bubu Palo for most of that time. With seven seconds remaining, OSU brings up forward LaQuinton Ross to set a ball screen, and Iowa State chooses to execute a switch, leaving 6-7 George Niang on Craft. Niang immediately concerns himself with being beaten by a drive and backs three feet away from the ball. That leaves Craft – a 36 percent 3-pointer shooter that season – with all the room he needs to pull up and fire.

4. 2014: Kentucky 74, Wisconsin 73, National semifinals

Hero: Aaron Harrison, Kentucky

Play: Pull-up 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds left to erase a 2-point deficit and advance Kentucky to the NCAA Championship game.

Strategic error: Wisconsin had assigned Josh Gasser, its best defender, to Harrison, who’d made late jumpers that were key for UK victories over Louisville and Michigan in the previous two rounds. Gasser had been brilliant, holding Harrison to just five points and 2-of-7 shooting prior to the game-winner. With UW ahead by a basket, Gasser makes the surprising decision to take a half-step back and play Harrison for the drive, even though a 3-pointer is the only play that could beat the Badgers there. Harrison reads the defense and takes the shot available to him.

5. 2011: Butler 60, Old Dominion 58, Round of 64

Hero: Matt Howard, Butler

Play: Putback layup with as time expired to avoid overtime and send Bulldogs on another trek to the Final Four.

Strategic error: BU guard Shawn Vanzant drives the right side with all the team’s best offensive options taking up dangerous positions: Shelvin Mack on the right wing, Howard at the foul line, 6-11 center Andrew Smith near the rim. ODU forward Frank Hassell had begun the play in Howard’s vicinity but immediately leaves him as Vanzant advances the ball. That leaves Howard unattended and a huge vacuum on the weak side. When Vanzant slips and tosses the ball toward the rim, Smith goes up to tip it with ODU’s Kent Bazemore and Keyon Carter surrounding him. Howard slides alone in to make the play.