Texas A&M’s Jordan Nixon gave us the first buzzer-beater of March Madness

The return of the NCAA tournament after a one-year hiatus because of the pandemic has already provided so many great moments through the first weekends of the men’s and women’s tournament. The men’s side saw a historic number of upsets through the first four days that leaves the Sweet 16 with the highest seed total in history. The women’s tournament has gifted us a matchup between UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the two best freshmen in the country, to start its own Sweet 16 while the favorites have mostly held court.

The only thing missing from March Madness so far was a true buzzer-beater. Now we have it thanks to Jordan Nixon of Texas A&M women’s basketball.

The No. 2 seed Aggies trailed almost the entire night against No. 7 seed Iowa State, but the got the game into overtime in their round of 32 matchup. In the final seconds of the extra frame, Nixon grabbed a defensive rebound and took the ball coast-to-coast to hit a game-winning layup as the buzzer sounded. Aggies win, 84-82, to reach the Sweet 16.

Nixon, a 5’8 redshirt sophomore guard who started her career at Notre Dame, was absolutely electric all night. She finished the game with 35 points and seven assists on 16-of-28 shooting from the field. The game-winner wasn’t her only clutch shot.

With the Aggies trailing by two on their final possession of regulation, Nixon hit a tough layup off a pick-and-roll to tie the score and force OT.

Nixon’s 35 points are tied for the second-most in Aggies history during a tournament game, behind only Chennedy Carter’s 37-point performance in the 2019 tournament, per ESPN.

Nixon gave an emotional post-game interview where she thanked her teammates for trusting her in big moments. The NCAA tournament is at its best during moments like this.

The Aggies now face No. 3 seed Arizona in the Sweet 16 on Saturday evening. Their sophomore guard just became a star overnight. We can’t wait to see what she does from here.