Page 19 - ANTILL DGB

A19
SPORTS Friday 20 March 2020

NCAA Tournament:

Big shots that define

the madness of March

By DAVE SKRETTA Farokhmanesh, now an as-
AP Basketball Writer sistant at Colorado State.
This is the time of year peo- "Magnitude-wise Kansas
ple usually start tweeting at was bigger, but the UNLV
Ali Farokhmanesh. game, that was crazy too,
The Northern Iowa fans because it was back and
who remember his back- forth and we got lucky
to-back buzzer-beaters to enough to have the last
beat UNLV and Kansas and possession, and it was cra-
usher the Panthers to the zy because they were dou-
Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tour- ble-teaming us. I was pretty
nament a decade ago. deep and let it fly."
The Missouri and Kansas There are plenty of other
State fans still thankful he players in the history of the
helped take down the top- NCAA Tournament that
seeded Jayhawks. And yes, have "let it fly," earning
there will be Kansas fans still them a spot in the history
pained by the memory. books:
"I mean, any time someone THE SHOT
brings it up to me or some- Christian Laettner hit plenty
body randomly tweets at of memorable ones, in-
me, or something along cluding the winning jumper
those lines, it brings me against Connecticut in the
back," Farokhmanesh told 1990 regional final and the
The Associated Press this winning foul shots against
week. "And honestly, nor- UNLV in the 1991 national
mally this time of the year is semifinals. But it was his
when I start thinking about catch-and-shoot off a full-
that — thinking about when court pass from Grant Hill
I was playing." to beat Kentucky in dou-
Nothing is normal this year, ble-overtime of their 1992
though. There will be no regional final that became
last-second heroics in the historic.
NCAA Tournament after "I don't realize what hap-
the outbreak of the corona- pened," Laettner said after- In this March 28, 1992, file photo, Duke's Christian Laettner takes the winning shot in overtime over
virus led to its cancellation. ward. "I just caught the ball, Kentucky's Deron Feldhaus for a 104-103 victory in the East Regional final NCAA college basket-
There will be no underdogs turned around and made ball game in Philadelphia.
taking down basketball the shot." Associated Press
bluebloods, or previously FOR THE WIN
unheralded kids becoming Villanova and North Caro- THE PERFECT MISS 2.5 seconds left, Bill Jenkins sas history," said Self, whose
household names because lina had already played To this day, North Carolina caught an in-bound pass team ultimately won 75-68
of their heroics during the a championship classic in State's Dereck Whittenburg from Jaime Sykes and got in OT. "It'll never be forgot-
madness of March. 2016 when the Tar Heels' jokes his deep jumper that it to Drew, who let loose a ten."
Instead, basketball fans will Marcus Paige hit a 3 to tie came up woefully short shot as time expired. It gave MORE MEMORIES
be left — like Farokhmanesh the game 74-all with 4.7 against Houston in the 1983 Valpo a 70-69 win, kicking No list of clutch shots is
— to reflect on the big seconds left. The Wildcats title game was really the off a run to the Sweet 16 for complete without Michael
games, big shots and big in-bounded the ball and perfect pass. Regardless, Homer Drew's team. Jordan's jumper to lift North
moments that have come Ryan Arcidiacono pushed the Wolfpack's Lorenzo CHOP Carolina over Georgetown
to define the NCAA Tour- up the floor, then dished to Charles was in the perfect The play had been in the for the 1982 title. Indiana's
nament as one of the most Kris Jenkins, who released spot to make the catch, Kansas playbook for years, Keith Smart deserves a nod
heart-stopping sporting the winning 3 as time ex- drop the ball through the and it had been practiced for his winner over Syra-
events in the country. pired to set off pandemo- net and send Jim Valvano so many times it almost cuse for the 1987 cham-
For Farohkmanesh, it is not nium inside NRG Stadium. racing across the court like seemed like second-na- pionship. Tyus Edney is still
necessarily the 3-pointer in "I watched it one time," Vil- a mad man. ture to the Jayhawks. So cursed by Missouri fans for
the final minute that took lanova coach Jay Wright "I never thought it was go- when coach Bill Self called his coast-to-coast layup in
down Kansas in the second told AP this week. "I watch ing to be short," Whitten- "chop" with his team trail- the second round of the
round of the 2010 tourna- game film right after the burg told AP years later. "I ing Memphis by three in '94 tournament. And the
ment that jumps to the game. That one I didn't. So thought it was going in." the closing seconds of the indelible image of Loyola
forefront of his mind. It's the I remember the day after THE SLIPPER FIT 2008 national title game, Marymount's Bo Kimball
shot he hit two days earlier, the parade, our family said, In the pantheon of Cinder- Mario Chalmers knew he making a left-handed free
a 3 from well beyond the 'We're going to sit down ella teams, the 1998 bunch was likely going to get the throw in a first-round blow-
arc in the final seconds, and we're going to watch from Valparaiso are near shot. Chalmers curled off a out of New Mexico State
that gave the Panthers a this game.' We did it. The the top of the list, and the screen, teammate Sherron in 1990 to honor his best
69-66 victory over the Run- whole family sat down and biggest reason is Bryce Collins handed him the ball friend Hank Gathers, who
nin' Rebels. watched the game and Drew's winning shot against and he drilled the shot to had died days earlier from
"That one gets com- that was the only time I Mississippi. With the No. 13 force overtime. a heart issue, remains the
pletely passed up," said watched it." seed Crusaders trailing with ""The biggest shot in Kan- stuff of NCAA lore.q