2026 Men's March Madness odds: Will There be a Buzzer-Beater This Year?

Buzzer beating is just a part of the equation come March Madness.

In fact, 47 buzzer-beaters have taken place in the men's NCAA Tournament dating back to 1944. 

So, will there be a buzzer-beating finish this time around? Let's check out the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of March 15.

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NCAA Tournament buzzer-beaters

Will there be a buzzer-beater in the NCAA Tournament?: Yes +110 (bet $10 to win $21 total)

Let's define a buzzer-beater as a made basket as time expires, which equals a win for the scoring team. 

In other words, the buzzer goes off as the ball is in the air or going through the hoop, and the opposing team does not have another possession.

There was one buzzer-beater in 2025: Derik Queen's game-winning, 2-point basket against Colorado State in the Round of 32, giving Maryland a 1-point win.

Prior to that, the last four buzzer-beating baskets came in 2023, 2021, 2018 and 2017. Then, there were four in 2016, tied for the most in any NCAA Tournament in history (1990).

Of those 47 buzzer-beaters, the game was tied 28 times. The winning team trailed by one 14 times, and the winning team trailed by two five times.

There have been 31 2-point buzzer-beaters, 13 3-point buzzer-beaters, two free throw buzzer-beaters and one and-1 buzzer-beater.

Of those 47 buzzer-beaters, 19 have come in the first round, 14 have come in the second round, five have come in the Elite Eight, three have come in the Final Four, two have come in the Sweet 16, two have come in the national title game, and one each has come in the national third-place game and the regional third-place game (back when those existed).

Lastly, all-time, Georgetown has the most NCAA Tournament buzzer-beaters with three.