Massachusetts kids are taking over Championship Week.
First, Notre Dame’s Zach Auguste (Marlborough, Mass.) had a monster performance to help the Irish knock off Duke on Thursday. Friday night, Roxbury, Mass., native Wayne Selden threw down the dunk heard ’round the world in Kansas’ Big 12 semifinal win over West Virginia.
But earlier Friday afternoon, UConn’s Jalen Adams (Melrose, Mass.) hit the shot heard round the world — one that tore apart Cincinnati’s hopes of winning the American Athletic Conference tournament.
In the midst of their third overtime period, Connecticut trailed by three with 0.8 seconds on the clock after Cincinnati’s Kevin Johnson drilled a 3-pointer in what we thought were the final moments of the game.
Then Adams did this:
That incredible 62-foot bucket tied the game and sent it to another OT period, where the Huskies eventually would pull away with a 104-97 win. Adams finished with a career-high 22 points, but not everyone was impressed.
Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin ripped the officials and clock operators following his team’s loss.
“I felt we won the game and the game was taken away from us,” Cronin said, via WCPO9 Cincinnati. “In .8 (seconds) you can’t catch the ball, take two steps and then shoot it. You can’t catch it, turn, bring it below your waist and then shoot it with enough force to shoot it 80 feet in .8 seconds.
“The clock didn’t start nearly on time. I’ve already watched it five times, so it’s unfortunate that that happened to my kids. I feel bad for the guys, one because the game was taken away from them —Â if the clock starts and goes off when it should have gone off, the game is over — and then if the people watching the replay would have handled it correctly, the game is over.”
Cincinnati still is expected to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid, while Connecticut might have saved its chance at the dance with the win.
Thumbnail photo via Logan Bowles/USA TODAY Sports Images
