The Bulldogs were one-tenth of one second away from locking up an NCAA bid. They were up three with under ten seconds to play, so they elected to foul Kentucky’s Eric Bledsoe so the Wildcats wouldn’t have an opportunity to tie the game with a three. He made the first free throw and Kentucky rebounded the intentional miss. John Wall badly missed a long jumper to tie it, but DeMarcus Cousins was there to put in the game-tying bucket as time expired.
With the way Kentucky celebrated after the basket — remember, they only tied the game, they didn’t win it — I thought they might lay an egg in overtime, but Wall hit a leaning three-pointer to give the Wildcats a five-point cushion, and eventually won 75-74.
For a guy who posted 17 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and five steals, it sure didn’t seem like Wall played all that well. Aside from the leaning three, he missed three shots in crunch time and turned the ball over once. In fact, he should have had another turnover in overtime when he took three steps on an attempted layup that was called a goaltend. It’s going to be interesting to see how he performs in the clutch as the NCAA Tournament wears on.
For the Bulldogs, it sure seems like they should get a tourney bid. They played Kentucky very tough during the regular season and in a hostile environment in the conference tournament. The Bulldogs’ fate may lie in Minnesota’s hands. If the Gophers lay an egg against Ohio State, Mississippi State could get their bid. There’s also a chance that the committee will knock Virginia Tech, Wake Forest or even Utah State out for disappointing play down the stretch.
