On Saturday afternoon, it looked like defending national champion Baylor (-5.5 favorites) would leave the Men’s NCAA tournament with a whimper.
The No. 1 seed in the East Region, the Bears had more than their fair share of struggles with No. 8 North Carolina. At one point, very late in the second half, the Tar Heels held a stratospheric 25-point lead. Hubert Davis and Co. were cruising. Then Brady Manek was ejected on what seemed like a questionable flagrant foul, and this game flipped on its head.
Showing the heart of a champion, Baylor stormed back to tie the game at 80 on the strength of a James Akinjo and-1at the last minute.
WHY NOT?! @BaylorMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/WVZZY89qxz
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2022
But North Carolina wasn’t done. The Bears still had to get one last stop to send this instant classic into overtime. It came down to one R.J. Davis 28-foot three-point shot.
And try as he might to put on a brave face for his players, Scott Drew couldn’t bear to look on as Davis rose to potentially end Baylor’s title defense.
Scott Drew hiding his eyes on UNC’s final shot in regulation is perfect.
pic.twitter.com/Yq1J7V0uze— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) March 19, 2022
“Please don’t go in, please don’t go in. YES!!!” said Scott Drew, probably. Great coaches wear their emotions on their sleeves during high-stakes tournament games. They’re just like us!
Of course, Baylor lost in overtime anyway, 93-86. But for a moment at the end of regulation, the Bears and Drew had hope. You saw that hope on the coach’s face. Well, you almost saw it behind his fingers.
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