This is how you erase a 12-point deficit in 35 seconds. https://t.co/l3eJ83wDDB #MarchMadness
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 21, 2016
11th-ranked Northern Iowa pulled off the unbelievable upset against the Univ. of Texas in the first round of the NCAA tournament thanks to a half-court heave by Paul Jesperson. Last night, with the game tied in regulation and enough time to get down the court on the clock, Jesperson threw up another half-court heave. Maybe he thought, given recent events, he’d have better luck with that shot than a more traditional three-pointer.
Either way, it was the culmination of a meltdown of legendary proportions.
UNI really did look as if it had secured a victory in regulation. It would have been another upset–over another Texas team nonetheless–and they were just 35 seconds away from putting away the 3rd-ranked Texas A&M Aggies and securing a miraculous and unlikely spot in this year’s Sweet 16.
Texas A&M won the game by 4 points in quadruple overtime. They were down 12 at the 35-second mark, and the above video clip is how it happened.
