Perhaps the only thing more glaring than the lack of upsets in the NCAA Tournament this year has been the dearth of heroic moments.

Editors of the famed “One Shining Moment” montage that plays each year after the championship game had to be panicking about finding enough footage before a pair of former Las Vegas prep stars stepped in to save the day.

First, former Bishop Gorman standout Darrion Williams helped Texas Tech rally past Arkansas 85-83 in the second-biggest comeback in Sweet 16 history, hitting a 3-pointer to force overtime and then getting to the rim for the game-winner in the closing seconds.

Las Vegas native and former Desert Pines standout Milos Uzan took the baton and ran with it Friday night, as he lifted Houston into the Elite Eight by starting and finishing a brilliant inbounds play from under the basket with less than a second remaining to beat Purdue 62-60.

Playing his role so well in such a perfectly executed play made the moment all the more special for the son of a local coach, Mike Uzan, who won three state championships at Desert Pines.

“That was beautiful,” Milos Uzan said. “Especially in a moment like this, Sweet 16 to go to the Elite Eight.”

Uzan finished with 22 points (6-for-9 on 3-pointers) and six assists.

They are just the latest players to help build on a growing legacy of Las Vegas basketball talent that has shined on the big stage, mostly elsewhere.

Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.