In case you are unaware, it is March. And if you needed any further confirmation, five college basketball games ended with buzzer-beaters on Saturday, starting the chaos that is March Madness.
The first of five thrilling finishes began in “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden. Marquette’s leading scorer, Vander Blue banked a shot off the glass to give the Golden Eagles a 69-67 overtime win over the unraveling St. John’s Red Storm. The game-winners moved south after that when Alabama’s Trevor Releford heaved a half-court prayer that found the bottom of the net to give the Tide a 61-58 win over Georgia.
The mid-majors wanted to get in on the action when Belmont’s Kerron Johnson‘s mid-range pull-up jumper punched the Bruins’ ticket to the dance, beating Murray State 70-68 in overtime to win the Ohio Valley Conference.
The Horizon League might be the most exciting conference in the country right now. Miles Dixon‘s off-balanced jump shot fell through and took down reigning league champ Detroit as Wright State moved on to the finals. A day after winning at the buzzer, Green Bay was eliminated by Ryan Broekhoff‘s last-second three that put Valparaiso in the title game.
There are 21 more days of March, and surely much more madness to come.