Nailbiters: the 10 greatest games of 2016

10. The Chicago Cubs’ 7-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners on July 31 was an incredibly entertaining midsummer game that served as a much-needed highlight during the long baseball season.

After the Mariners jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the first three innings, the eventual World Series champions — the Chicago Cubs, who will be making another appearance on this list — pulled out the victory after several memorable plays.

Pitcher Travis Wood’s gold glove-caliber catch in left field, Addison Russell’s game-tying run on a wild pitch with two outs in the ninth inning and pitcher Jon Lester’s walk-off suicide squeeze in the 10th inning highlighted the thrilling comeback victory.

9. The Clemson University Tigers’ 37-34 victory in an ACC slugfest against the Florida State Seminoles on Oct. 29 epitomized the best of college football. This game had frequent lead changes, fourth quarter theatrics and consistent, high caliber play on both offense and defense.

Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook’s explosiveness, Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson’s coolness under pressure, Clemson’s final defensive stand and tight end Jordan Leggett’s sensational game-winning touchdown for the Tigers turned this hyped matchup into an unforgettable classic.

8. Clemson’s 42-36 victory over the University of Louisville Cardinals on Oct. 1 was similar to the aforementioned game. The Tigers battled their ACC foe to the brink and just barely managed to come out on top when the clock expired.

The two top five-ranked teams, both led by their Heisman-worthy quarterbacks, came into the matchup at 4-0. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson battled for supremacy throughout the game, but Watson and the Tigers prevailed thanks to the quarterback’s two late fourth quarter touchdown passes. Plus, the defense’s ability to keep the Cardinals just short of the end zone in the game’s final minute sealed the victory.

7. The Chicago Cubs’ 8-7 victory in game seven of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians was the best possible way to end a great year of baseball and a 108-year championship drought.

The drama and suspense was straight out of a movie; with Chicago’s Dexter Fowler hitting a leadoff home run; “grandpa” David Ross’s pinch-hit home run off Andrew Miller; Aroldis Chapman giving up a game-tying home run to Cleveland’s Rajai Davis in the eighth inning; the rain delay; and the extra inning of drama.

If the Indians had won, the movie Major League would have had a legitimate real-life sequel.

6. The Texas A&M University Aggies’ stunning 92-88 victory over the Northern Iowa University Panthers on March 21 embodied what March Madness is all about. The Aggies were down 12 points with 44 seconds remaining in their second round matchup. This improbably forced overtime after the most insane sequence of events I have ever seen.

Alex Caruso’s clutch jump shot for the Aggies with eight seconds remaining in overtime then extended the game to a second overtime period. A&M finally put away the upset Panthers in the second overtime period but not before the two teams gave us an unforgettable contest.

5. The Villanova University Wildcats’ 77-74 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels during the National Championship Game on April 4 was another example of why nothing beats March Madness.

The teams battled back and forth all game long, with neither side gaining a considerable advantage. Right when the Wildcats started to taste victory, Tar Heel senior Marcus Paige drained an acrobatic, off-balance three-pointer to tie the game with less than five seconds remaining.

A few moments later, though, all was forgiven, as Kris Jenkins cemented Villanova’s place in history by nailing a buzzer-beater from downtown.

Unless you are a Tar Heel fan, you could not have asked for a more satisfying way for the season to end. Still, this isn’t the best college basketball game of the season.

4. There was no better college basketball game this year than the University of Kansas Jayhawks’ and the University of Oklahoma Sooners’ all-time classic on Jan. 4, when the Jayhawks won 109-106 in triple overtime.

This game was a three-point barrage, with both teams sinking a combined 27 shots from downtown. Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield was so dominant that he probably could have sat out every game for the remainder of the season and still have been the player of the year... and his team didn’t even win the game!

The two teams — each ranked first in one of the two national polls and second in the other — played about as even of a game as you will ever see in basketball. The Jayhawks just happened to be the final team to make a basket.

3. The Arizona Cardinals’ 26-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 16 is the lone NFL game to make the list. This divisional round matchup was special.

After wide receiver Michael Floyd caught a wild, tipped-ball touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give Arizona the lead, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers took over. Rodgers first threw a 60-yard Hail Mary on fourth and 20 to wide receiver Jeff Janis, and then threw yet another 41-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Janis as time expired to send the game into overtime.

After a bizarre controversy that resulted from the coin not flipping during the coin toss, the Cardinal’s future hall-of-famer Larry Fitzgerald quickly sealed the game and sent Arizona to the next round with a lengthy 75-yard reception, followed by a 5-yard shuffle-pass touchdown. The Packers may have lost, but their final offensive possession was unforgettable.

2. The Golden State Warriors’ 121-118 overtime victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 27 was absolutely epic. Andre Iguodala’s clutch, game-tying free throw for the Golden State Warriors to end regulation following a wild steal in the closing seconds was memorable on its own, but this game was all about Steph Curry.

Early in overtime, Curry broke his own record for three-pointers with over a month still remaining in the season. Then, he calmly hit the game-winning three-pointer from nearly half court in one of the most sensational shots ever. And, by the way, that was his 12th three-pointer of the game.

The shot tied the All-time League Record — a record that he, unsurprisingly, has since broken.

1. You would think that, as a Hopkins student, the most stressful thing I have ever experienced was in the classroom. Wrong. It was June 19, game seven. Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors — two teams I do not even root for. Yet, they managed to put on a seven-game showcase that culminated into the most intense game I have ever seen.

The stakes were incredibly high with Golden State’s 3-1 lead erased and their historical season at its tipping point. Every player poured his heart into this game.

In the end, though, Cleveland’s LeBron James’ superhuman abilities and drive were exemplified by his now-iconic blocked shot. Additionally, Kyrie Irving’s game-winning three-pointer over three-point king Steph Curry propelled the Cavaliers to the top of the sports world with a 93-89 victory.

If Cleveland and Golden State do indeed meet next year in the NBA Finals for what would be the third consecutive season, I honestly do not know if I could handle the anxiety again.

All I can say to 2017 is: Good luck trying to match the last 12 months.