It was my senior year of high school, and I was making the rounds on my college visit tour. On Dec. 9, 2011, that tour stopped at Indiana University. I had visited the campus once before and already loved it, but this time it was for an official formal tour. 

At the admissions office portion of the visit, I remember someone talking about the excitement building for the following day's basketball game against the #1-ranked Kentucky Wildcats. I knew basketball was a big deal at IU - my grandfather's a huge IU basketball fan and even wrote a book about it. What I didn't know was that IU had been struggling for a few years but had some really good players that year that could bring IU back to its former glory. I was told IU had a real chance of beating this #1 team, and I could feel that excitement and hype during my visit.

I wanted to stay in Bloomington for the rest of the weekend, but because of a prior commitment, I had to return home right after my visit. I remember relaxing at home on that Saturday evening when my dad ran upstairs from the basement, where he was watching the game. He said something like, "Alyssa, you have to come downstairs, IU's in this game."

IU was already my top college choice, and the previous day's visit only reaffirmed that. I figured if I was going to be a Hoosier, I should watch the game - and what an exciting game it was. 

IU was down 72-70 with 5.6 seconds left in the game. The ball was inbounded and passed to Christian Watford for a game-winning 3-point shot. The buzzer sounded, the ball went in and my family and I jumped out of our seats, cheering. IU beat #1 Kentucky, 73-72. Assembly Hall went nuts and fans rushed the court; I wish I could have been there. 

I'm pretty sure that Watford's game-winning shot, now affectionately known as the Wat Shot, was the nail in the coffin on my college decision. That game, that shot, propelled IU basketball back into the national spotlight and was the encouragement the team and the fans needed. It's a moment in Hoosier basketball history that everyone will remember. Before games, people still cheer when they show the clip of the shot in the video introduction. I still smile every time I watch the video of the shot, and know many Hoosiers can say the same.

IU junior Ali Harris attended the game and said the experience was "simply amazing."

"I have never heard Assembly Hall so loud in my life," she said. "Leading up to the last second it felt like everything was shaking and you honestly could not hear your own thoughts. Then when the Wat Shot happened, everything went even more crazy! l will be able to tell my kids about that shot, just like my parents tell me about some historic IU basketball memories!"

IU senior Alexis Salay said she was on the edge of her seat for the whole game, especially during those final seconds. 

"When that moment came, it was a intense sense of desire for us to win because of how much it would mean not only to the team, but to the school as a whole," she said. "Everyone literally held their breath as he released the ball, and there was a stunned silence before we all just went crazy. I've never heard Assembly Hall that loud, either before or after that moment. The whole campus seemed to come alive that night and continuing on into the weekend. It was just amazing."

So happy third anniversary, Wat Shot - and in case you need to watch it again, over and over, here you go.