Memphis almost survived with a win on Friday night, which would have sent Penny Hardaway and the Tigers on a pretty straight path to the Sweet 16.
Yet after the officials opted for a jump ball call instead of giving Memphis a timeout, FAU was given one last chance.
Instead the Owls capitalized.
Nicholas Boyd made the game-winning layup in the final seconds to give No. 9 FAU a 66–65 win over No. 8 Memphis at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This gave the Owls their first NCAA tournament win and advanced them to the second round, where they would face Fairleigh Dickinson – fresh off a huge upset win over No. 1 Purdue.
The play was only set up after a very chaotic sequence that almost certainly should have resulted in a Memphis timeout. The Tigers then free poked the ball after turning the ball over at midcourt in the final seconds. Tigers guard Jaden Hardaway pounced on it, and several Memphis players tried to call for a timeout – but the officials missed it and called a jump ball instead.
As the review was not eligible, and the Owls had the possession arrow, they received the ball with only five seconds remaining on the clock. This resulted in Boyd’s final sortie, and ultimately gave him the victory.
Big Hardaway was not happy.
This post will be updated soon with more information.
