It took Zac Swansey less than eight seconds to become an instant legend for University of Georgia basketball.

In the final seconds against Kentucky in the SEC tournament, Swansey dribbled the length of the court, did a spin move at the 3-point line and made the improbable game-winning shot.

Swansey's heroics propelled the Bulldogs on an unlikely championship stretch, with Georgia earning its first tournament title since 1983 and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Although the Bulldogs lost to Xavier in the first round of the NCAA, the team remains one of the season's feel-good stories. The magic all began with the shot by the freshman from Dunwoody.

"The first thing I thought was I just hit a shot and put us up one in the SEC tournament against one of the biggest programs in the country," Swansey said. "That's the biggest shot I ever hit. I can't believe it went in."

Here are five things that Swansey always will remember about this year's March Madness:

1. The shot heard around Georgia

Tournament time always creates lasting memories, and Swansey's stunning shot against Kentucky is right at the top of the list. But the original play was not designed for Swansey, who averaged 3.9 points per game.

Georgia called a timeout after Kentucky guard Ramel Bradley hit a jumper to put his team ahead by two with 8.8 seconds left. Coach Dennis Felton drew up a play where Swansey was to pass to teammate Billy Humphrey. But when Humphrey came off a double screen, he was too closely guarded, and Swansey didn't believe he could get Humphrey the ball.

So he improvised.

"[Felton] told me as he broke the huddle that if it was not there, to break away and make a play for myself," Swansey said. "My man had kind of jumped toward Billy. The clock was winding down so fast I didn't really have time to think at all. I just saw it, looked at it and knocked it down [with 1.2 seconds]."

Everything changed for Swansey once that shot went in. When the team returned to the bus, about 300 fans celebrated with the baby-faced star and his surrounding cast. And suddenly everyone on campus knew who he was and what he had done.

"It seemed like everywhere, in all my classes, in the dining halls, in the cafeteria, people would come up and say. 'Great shot,' " Swansey said.

"Fifty people came up and wanted me to sign stuff and had printed things for me to sign. It took 15 minutes just to sign all the autographs. Being a college basketball player, I've signed a few for little kids. But that was the first time I actually had people lined up for autographs."

The 15 minutes of fame didn't end there. When Swansey walked into his weather and climate geography class, he was met with a standing ovation from the teacher and the students. It was totally unexpected.

"My professor came up before class and greeted me and congratulated me and my team and our win," Swansey said.

2. The champions

When the team bus arrived in Athens after defeating Arkansas 66-57 in the SEC title game, the players were met by a frenzy of supporters around midnight. Swansey and the others heard the screams and exchanged high-fives with the fans.

"It was crazy," Swansey said. "I don't know who set it up, but none of us knew what was going on. It was great to see all the students."

For 45 minutes the crowd danced and cheered as Queen's "We Are the Champions" played over the radio in the background.

"It gave you goose bumps and everything," Swansey said.

Georgia beat four teams in the SEC tournament, the same number of conference foes the Bulldogs had defeated during the regular season. The players celebrated wildly on the court after defeating Arkansas in the final, but they didn't know quite how to react when returning to the locker room.

"We all kind of looked around, and it was speechless in there," Swansey said. "What we as individuals and what we as a team had accomplished. . . . Everyone had a smile on their face knowing that we had just won the SEC and were going to the NCAA tournament."

3. The madness of March

The glory of the SEC tournament was great for the Bulldogs, but Swansey said it did not compare with the electrifying atmosphere surrounding Georgia before its game against Xavier in Washington. NBA player and former Georgia standout Jarvis Hayes attended a practice to talk with the players.

"As a big basketball fan, you always dream of playing in the tournament, but you don't know what it's all about before you actually get into it," Swansey said. "It was the most people I've ever played in front of at one time. It was definitely the big time."

Georgia appeared on the brink of yet another upset, leading by 11 in the second half, before Xavier rallied for the victory. Swansey played five minutes and did not score, shooting 0-for-1 from the field.

"It was something we're going to build on for the next three years," he said. "Every team is good, and you can't just be the best for 30 minutes. You have to be the best for 40 minutes if you want to win and be successful in the tournament."

4. Winds of change

It's almost too easy to forget that Swansey's miraculous shot came in the shadows of deadly tornadoes that ripped through the state and downtown Atlanta. Georgia players were in the locker room when the high winds damaged the Georgia Dome, site of the SEC tournament.

"We were scared, and no one knew what was going on," Swansey said. "The whole scoreboard was going crazy, and the window was busted."

Swansey tried calling his family, which was in attendance in the Dome. He could not reach them. They were safe inside the Dome and were not injured. The team waited in the locker room for 90 minutes before a decision was made to move the Kentucky game to the following morning at Georgia Tech.

After Georgia defeated the Wildcats, it had to play Mississippi State several hours later in the semifinals.

"It's tough on your body playing two games at that level," Swansey said. "But if we wanted to play in the postseason, we were going to have to play two games in one day."

5. Taking it all in

Swansey said it has yet to sink in: a game-winning, miracle 3-pointer at the buzzer, the team's first SEC tournament championship in 25 years, an NCAA tournament appearance and a vicious tornado.

"Winning two games in one day, then the championship against Arkansas and then the chance to play in the NCAA tournament was one of the best things I've ever done in my life," Swansey said. "I'm just thinking what a wild ride it was."

SWANSEY BY THE NUMBERS

10: Season high in assists, in his debut game against Jacksonville State on Nov. 9. It was the most assists by a Georgia player in any game this season.

54: Total assists for the season, second on the team to Sundiata Gaines' 143. Swansey and Gaines were the only Georgia players with more assists than turnovers.

6: Season high in rebounds, in the season opener against Jacksonville State. He averaged 1.6 rebounds per game this season.

12: Season high in points, on Dec. 22 at Hawaii. His other double-figure scoring game was a 10-point effort against Tennessee at home on Feb. 16. Swansey averaged 3.9 points per game for the season.

4: Games in which he was in the starting lineup, all of them coming in regular-season conference games. Swansey played in all 34 of Georgia's games, averaging 16.3 minutes per game.

40: Minutes played (the entire game) in the Bulldogs' 82-64 victory against South Carolina on Feb. 13 in Athens. Swansey finished with nine points, four rebounds and two assists.

27: Total steals for the season, the fourth-highest total on the team.

5: Points scored, all in overtime, against Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. His 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds to play was the game-winner.