UConn is eligible to return to postseason play this season, and if Shabazz Napier keeps up his torrid pace, Storrs may be in for a long tournament run.
The senior from Roxbury, Mass., leads the undefeated Huskies in points, assists, rebounds, steals and minutes per game this season, and he played the hero again Monday night against No. 15 Florida.
With the Gators leading by one with less than 20 seconds to play, Napier received the inbounds pass and calmly dribbled his way up the floor, fighting through triple- and quadruple-teams at times. His initial shot from the top of the key with three seconds left was off the mark, but Napier gathered his own rebound off a tip from teammate DeAndre Daniels and buried a shot from free-throw length at the buzzer to give the No. 12 Huskies a 65-64 win.
The home crowd at Gampel Pavilion went wild, but rather than revel with his classmates, Napier took off for the locker room, where he and his teammates remained for a few minutes before returning to greet the fans.
“That ain’t for me,” said Napier (via CBS Sports), whose claustrophobia leads him to avoid any potential court-storming situations. “I’d rather run to the locker room, where I know I’m safe.”
Check out the game-winner in the video below, and keep scrolling to see what it looked like from court level.
