No. 1 Virginia miraculously wins after being down 4 with under a second to play
When a basketball team is down by more than one possession with just seconds remaining on the clock, chances are slim that they’ll come back and tie things up, let alone win in regulation.
But that’s exactly what happened Thursday night in Louisville thanks to a buzzer-beating three, much to the chagrin of the home crowd.
As time winded down, Louisville had a seemingly comfortable 66-62 lead over top-ranked Virginia. However, Virginia sophomore guard Ty Jerome wasn’t about to quit.
It seemed Virginia could only win by making a three-pointer, then quickly fouling Louisville and maybe getting the ball back with a chance at a last-second three. A tall order for sure, but thankfully for the Cavaliers, it didn’t come to that.
Jerome attempted a three, and though he didn’t make it, he was able to draw a shooting foul with less than a second to go in the game, giving him the opportunity to shoot three free throws. The sophomore, who scored 21 points in the game, made the first two foul shots but on the third one, Virginia got called for a lane violation.
With a 66-64 lead, all Louisville had to do was successfully inbound the ball, and time would likely run out.
Louisville, however, wasn’t able to do it.
As noted by The Associated Press, Cardinals junior forward Deng Adel shuffled his feet while attempting to inbound the ball, and got called for a travel.
“I kind of forgot I couldn’t move,” he said following the game. “Usually they allow me to run the baseline (and) will allow running the base line after a score. I just forgot I couldn’t take an extra step and I was just trying to get it to Darius (Perry).”
That meant Virginia had one final chance, and freshman guard De’Andre Hunter delivered.
The inbound pass went to Hunter, who had no choice but to hoist up a last-second prayer from beyond the arc. Defying all the odds, the ball banked into the net as the buzzer sounded, giving Virginia an improbable 67-66 win.
Following his game-winning basket, Hunter was mobbed by his teammates.
“I just knew I had to get a shot off quick,” he said after the game. “The play wasn’t originally drawn up for me, but Ty (Jerome) told me to step back and if I had a look to shoot it. That’s what I did, and it’s my first game-winner ever.”
It was a huge win for Virginia, who now holds a 27-2 record (16-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference), particularly after they were down 13 points during the game.
“I thought if we kept plugging, it was there,” said Virginia coach Tony Bennett, who also noted the win was “a really good accomplishment.”
But for Louisville, on the other hand, the loss was devastating, especially as the 19-11 squad looks to sneak into the NCAA Tournament.
“That’s about the toughest loss I’ve ever had,” Louisville interim coach David Padgett said.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
