And you thought Northern Iowa’s win was a wild finish?
No. 9 Cincinnati erased a 12-point second half deficit against No. 8 Saint Joseph’s, taking a 76-75 lead with less than a minute left before Isaiah Miles buried a three to put the Hawks back up 78-76.
On the ensuing possession, Cincinnati when the length of the court, where Troy Caupain found Octavius Ellis in front of the rim for what looked like a game-tying, overtime-forcing dunk:
Another wild ending, as Cincinnati's would-be game-tying dunk waved off: https://t.co/g1zVWQno2U pic.twitter.com/YgM1etvYVM
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) March 19, 2016
Not so fast.
Ellis did not get the ball out of his hands in time. If you don’t believe me, take a look at this screen shot from the truTV broadcast. The redlight behind the basket it on and the ball is still clearly in his hands:
That’s a devastating way for Cincinnati to have their season end.
And that may not even be the most unlikely loss for Cincinnati this month. Remember, they were knocked out of the AAC tournament by UConn in a quadruple-overtime game when Jalen Adams forced the fourth overtime with a 65-footer at the buzzer.
Saint Joseph’s, on the other hand, will advance to take on No. 1 Oregon in the second round on Sunday.