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Worst moments in NCAA tournament history (warning: Anti-ACC Bias)

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19. Allan Ray’s phantom travel
Referees can’t possibly get every call correct, but when the game is on the line, fans don’t cut the striped shirts any slack. One of the worst calls in tournament history came in 2005 during a Sweet 16 matchup between Villanova and UNC. The top-seeded Tar Heels were up by 10 when the Wildcats staged a comeback in the final minutes. Villanova’s Allan Ray had a chance to tie the game when he drove into the lane, made the bucket and seemingly drew a foul. Instead, Ray was whistled for traveling despite taking only two steps. The Heels narrowly escaped Nova by one point thanks to the “phantom travel” and went on to win the whole shebang.
14. Dane Fife almost fouls it up
Indiana guard Dane Fife sent Hoosier fans into a panic during a 2002 Sweet 16 game against No. 1 seed Duke. The fifth-seeded Hoosiers were up four in the final 11 seconds when Fife fouled Duke's Jayson Williams as he ripped off a desperation 3-pointer. The shot was good, giving Williams the chance to tie the game with his remaining foul shot, or for Duke to win if they rebounded his miss and scored. Fans held their breath as Williams missed and Indiana was able to corral the ball to narrowly upset Duke.
13. Hayward misses half-court shot
Everyone rooting for an underdog groaned in disappointment at the buzzer of the 2010 championship game. The fifth-seeded Butler Bulldogs were within centimeters of top-seeded Duke, who was upset in the Sweet 16 the year before and hadn’t been to the final game since 2001. While Duke was trying to reassert its dominance, Butler was trying to take home the small, scrappy school’s first crown in its first finals appearance. The Bulldogs almost pulled it off, sneaking to within one point of Duke’s lead with a minute left. After Duke made a free throw, Gordon Hayward launched a half-court shot with 3 seconds left that bounced off the rim at the buzzer. Making that shot could have won the title for Butler.


12. Tar Heels travel

Some moments in the March Madness hall of infamy are marked by overzealous calls by the referees, while others come from calls they totally missed. The latter turned out to be the case when No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 8 seed Arkansas met in the Round of 32 in 2017. In what could’ve been a thrilling upset, UNC was only up by one with possession of the ball and less than a minute to play. Tar Heels point guard Joel Berry drove to the basket with 5 seconds on the shot clock and obviously took more than two steps while plowing into an Arkansas defender. No whistle stopped the action on what was a clear travel, charge or both. Instead, Berry was able to fling the ball away to Kennedy Meeks, who tipped the ball in. Carolina coach Roy Williams admitted afterward, “We were awfully lucky.”

5. Tar Heels steamroll the competition
The NCAA Tournament is so entertaining because of the drama, the sense that anything could happen. Unfortunately, the tournament also sees its fair share of blowouts where predictable favorites easily take out the competition. This was the case with the 2008-09 North Carolina Tar Heels. Roy Williams’ squad won every game of March Madness by at least a dozen points, topping Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 by 21 and trouncing Michigan State in the final game by 17. Of all their 240 minutes of play throughout the tournament, the Heels led for all but 10 minutes. For anyone not of fan of Carolina Blue, that year’s tournament lacked that special magic of March.

4. Runnin’ Rebs reign ends
In 1990’s title game, UNLV utterly demolished Duke 103-73, setting a record for most points by a single team and the largest margin of victory ever in the title game. The Runnin’ Rebels’ performance was legendary, with Bleacher Report naming that year’s UNLV team the second-best college basketball squad of all time. Unfortunately for the Rebs, Duke used this humiliation as fuel. The teams met again in 1991, this time in the Final Four. UNLV was on a 45-game winning streak and led at halftime, but the Blue Devils stayed on their tails, ultimately turning the tides their way after UNLV’s point guard Greg Anthony fouled out.

2. Title game turned foul fest
Many fans and pundits alike were disappointed in 2017’s title game between UNC and Gonzaga. The matchup’s major storyline became about the game’s whopping 44 foul calls, 22 on both teams, that led to 52 total free throw attempts, which ground the game’s pace to a crawl. Both Dwayne Wade and LeBron James chimed in on Twitter, both echoing the sentiment, “Let these kids play.” UNC coach Roy Williams acknowledged it was “an ugly game” on the part of the players. Once the dust settled, some realized that although the refs missed major calls, the play was also sloppy rather than skillful.


1. Chris Webber calls timeout
Perhaps the most cringe-worthy March Madness moment of all time is also what USA Today dubbed the “biggest boneheaded play” in tournament history. It happened in the 1993 national championship game between Michigan and North Carolina. With the Wolverines down by 2 points with 11 seconds left, Chris Webber, a member of Michigan’s acclaimed Fab Five, nabbed the offensive rebound, got away with traveling, then dribbled into a trap in the corner and tried to call a timeout. Except Michigan didn’t have any left, resulting in a technical foul that gave the Tar Heels free throws and possession. UNC ultimately won the title 77–71.
 
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