Butler fouls! Pitt fouls! Weirdest NCAA ending ever? Yep
OK, you’re asking: Have I ever seen anything like the end of Pitt-Butler? And the answer is:
No, because nobody has ever seen anything like it.
The silliest foul in the history of the Big Dance followed by an even sillier one. An absolutely great game that had an ending to make even the winning coach feel sheepish. And here’s the weirdest part: The refs weren’t wrong either time. Both the goofball fouls — first Shelvin Mack’s, committed 45 feet from the goal, and then Nasir Robinson’s, committed 90 feet from the other goal — were fouls.
If it was unfortunate that such a game was decided by back-and-forth lapses of sense, it nonetheless proves yet again that the NCAA tournament cannot be handicapped or scripted. You can’t write stuff like this. Butler is the most resourceful team in the land and possibly the best-coached, and it messed up. Then Pitt messed up worse. Amazing. But not really.
Because that’s the thing about the Big Dance: These guys aren’t pros, and many of them will never be. They’re amateurs trying really hard with millions of us watching. The wonder isn’t that these guys sometimes have brain blips; the wonder is that they manage to function as well under pressure as they do.
That said: Is Butler amazing? Is Brad Stevens the best? (Actually, no. Krzyzewski is. But Stevens might be second-best.) And did I not warn you against picking Pitt because this proud team invents ways to lose in March?
Great tournament. Great game. Wildest ending ever. Wilder even than Michigan beating Western Kentucky in 1966 on a foul on a jump ball. (Ref Steve Honzo said Western’s Greg Smith jumped into the All-American Cazzie Russell on a toss with 11 seconds left, and Russell made the tying and winning free throws.) I never thought that ending could be topped for sheer lunacy. Wrong again.
(Speaking of which: Here, courtesy of YouTube, are the final few minutes of that game from 45 years ago. The jump ball comes at the 8:51 mark. Judge for yourself.
(As for the principals: Russell would become a famous sixth man with the championship-winning New York Knicks, Smith a starting forward for the championship-winning Milwaukee Bucks. And the Hilltopper who misses the free throw ahead of the jump ball is Wayne Chapman, who would have a son named Rex.)
By Mark Bradley
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118 comments Add your comment
JSS
March 21st, 2011
12:03 am
That close to going 15 for 16…
kral
March 21st, 2011
12:05 am
YOU are hilarious…read our conversations over 2 days..look in the mirror..and be honest..you have got me into a pssy-in contest…that is fine..let’s all think we are superior..who knows…I just know by what you blog..that you should not call anyone out for….short-sidedness..gestilating mispelled for you..you girl have proved to have depth of character…do not dive shallow on this end…darling condescending…you
Delta Stewardess
March 21st, 2011
12:07 am
FSU FSU FSWHO? Catholics now know the Convicts. Wait the Priest are the convict child molesters. What does that make FSU? Free Shoes U just beat the Catholic Convicts. Congrats S Tiutt your mommy made a great choice for you to go to ND. The BIG Least Basketball is as good as the SEC Least in football.
kral
March 21st, 2011
12:17 am
haaaad dang …haff to be careful ..you are so smart you are stupid as I have been called…darling darling..where the H do you get off being so arrogant to call out anyone…dang doo you wear a chastidy belt..dang that was low kral..you will feel bad in the morn.. for saying that…ohhh..but tom..is another day…and if you meet one you have to greet one…itch flying high…just a little to high..
Paul in RDU
March 21st, 2011
12:30 am
The Tourney so far for the big 6 conferences
ACC 7-1 – all 4 teams won at least 1 game – 3 of 4 still alive
SEC 4-3 – 3 one and dones – 2 of 5 still alive
Big East 9-2 – 2 of 11 still alive
Big 10 7-5 – 2 of 7 still alive
Big XII 4-3 – 1 of 4 still alive
Pac 10 4-3 – 1 of 4 still alive
I wonder if Jeff Schultz still thinks that the SEC has surpassed the ACC in basketball
Paul in RDU
March 21st, 2011
12:31 am
Oops
Big East is 8-9
JSS
March 21st, 2011
12:50 am
@ Paul in RDU…
Think people are going to still keep disrespecting the Colonial, A-10, and the Horizon?
Paul in RDU
March 21st, 2011
1:23 am
@JSS
I hope not. The A-10 has been good for a long time – heck, I took Xavier in my bracket to win a couple of games.
Football Guy
March 21st, 2011
6:16 am
Seems like I saw this same article on ESPN. Videos and all.
Buckeye
March 21st, 2011
8:10 am
DawginLex,
We’ve got your game. Can’t wait! Don’t like the late start time.
Rickster
March 21st, 2011
8:38 am
To borrow the ending line from “Apocalypse Now” – “The horror…. the horror.”
After going 27-7 in the first round (a .781 batting average) I went 8-8 and then 4-4 in the next two.
From ranking 140th, I’m not down to 1,370th.
“Oh the humanity!”
Rickster
March 21st, 2011
8:40 am
But at least all four of my final 4 picks are still in the running.
And even better, I’ve got 82 points to MB’s 58!
gatorref
March 21st, 2011
8:44 am
Did anyone see the end of the Syracuse game yesterday – The Orange had a throw in late in the game near midcourt – called for an over and back. What actually happenned was after the throw in was released from out of bounds a ‘Cuse player became airbore from the front court and caught the ball – then landed on the division line. An over and back was called – there is an exception on this during a throw in. Huge play because MU hit a three on the following possesion – ref missed this one bad.
Jim Bob
March 21st, 2011
9:07 am
The Big East only has 2 out of 11 teams in the Sweet 16, ha! Once again the ACC shows why it’s the premier basketball conference in the country. In its lowest state in 20 years, it still leads the way with 3 teams in the Sweet 16 and a 7-1 tournament record.
DawginLex
March 21st, 2011
9:16 am
Buckeye,
Should be a great one. I don’t like the late tip either.
OSU looks good. UK has enough size and length on the perimeter to disrupt. Sullinger and Lauderdale should be fine inside. Harrelson is a gamer but he is undersized. Vargas is an anomoly. Jones is not physical enough.
If Liggins, Miller and Knight can shut down the 3 ball, UK can win even though Sullinger might get 30. Up tempo favors UK too.
DawginLex
March 21st, 2011
9:18 am
buckeye,
I posted a long response that the mods didn’t apparently like.
Should be a great game
Hewitt fan
March 21st, 2011
9:32 am
All i said was the Duke-Michigan game was horribly officiated!..Why did you take it off?..lol…
5150 UOAD
March 21st, 2011
9:19 pm
Hewitt Fan
900 referee wins?
WOW I didn’t know Refs could make that many calls to let Coach K get that close to Bob Knight’s record.