The first round of the NCAA tournament gave us two staggering games that both came down to the wire. When it came to Texas vs. NC State the buzzer beater to seal the Longhorns win almost turned into a complete disaster — and coach Sean Miller knew it.
Texas coach LIT UP assistant for almost costing team its March Madness buzzer beater
This could have gone so badly.
When guard Tramon Mark sunk the shot to put Texas ahead there was one second left on the clock. That one second is crucially important, because Longhorns assistant Ryan Anderson ran onto the court to celebrate the shot as if the game was over. Sean Miller realized what was at stake and went nuclear on his assistant.
This should have been a technical foul, if we’re being pedantic. Anderson didn’t just run onto the court, he was almost in the paint before another assistant grabbed him and dragged him back behind the line. If this went badly it could have erased Texas’ game-winner, and potentially given NC State a chance to win — either in regulation or overtime.
If we’re being honest, this kind of thing shouldn’t result in a game-defining moment, so it’s good the refs swallowed their whistles. Getting chewed out by Sean Miller was probably punishment enough.
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