Louisville sure could have used those two points, as well as what should have been an ensuing free-throw for the missed foul, as they would go on to lose the game by a score of 69-66.

I still can’t figure out how the refs missed that call.  Did they really think Knowles simply aired-out that dunk on his own?  Maybe in the Big Sky or Big South Conferences, but not in the Big East.

Hat Tip – [Terez Owens]

With ten seconds remaining and the game tied 74-74, UConn’s Kemba Walker had both the ball and the game in his hands.  The junior guard took the final shot with no time remaining on the clock, and nailed it, but not before breaking the ankles of Pitt center Gary McGhee, twice.

McGhee barely kept his balance on the first crossover, but he couldn’t stay on his feet after the second, crashing to the ground before watching Walker hit the game-winning jumper as UConn advance to the semi-finals of the Big East tournament.  There they will face either St. John’s or Syracuse in what should be another entertaining match-up Friday night.

As for the Panthers, they are one-and-done in the Big East tournament, but the extra rest should give McGhee plenty of time to heal his broken ankles before the Big Dance next week.

Here is a look at the final play of the game.

At that moment the game appeared to be over.  At least for the refs it did.

The rest of the people watching the game saw Brownlee take three steps with the ball, including one out of bounds, before tossing it into the air in celebration, all with well over one second remaining on the clock.  Unfortunately, the officials did not see any of this as they appeared to be well on their way down the tunnel at Madion Square Gardens.

The Big East has since acknowledged that the officials missed both the traveling and out-of-bounds calls at the end of the game, but neither were reviewable.  John Adams, who is in charge of selecting and organizing the officials for the NCAA tournament, described the missed call as unacceptable.  If those words are any indication, perhaps we should expect to see Jim Burr, Tim Higgins and Earl Walton joining Rutgers on the sideline during this year’s March Madness tournament.

Hat Tip – [Deadspin]

Some big shots and good defense down the stretch helped the Pittsburgh Panthers send yesterday’ Big East battle against Louisville into overtime.  An embarrassing gaffe by a male cheerleader of the Cardinals almost sent it into double-overtime.

Trailing by three with less than ten seconds remaining on the clock in the first overtime, Pitt’s Brad Wanamaker missed an open lay-up to cut the lead to one.  The Cards advanced the ball up the court and Kyle Kuric’s slam dunk with only 0.5 seconds remaining appeared to seal the victory for Louisville.  While most fans at the KFC Yum! Center were in celebration mode at that point, one over-exuberant member of the Cardinals’ cheer squad took things a little too far, stepping onto the court and tossing the ball into the air with time still remaining on the clock.

That foolish mishap earned the Cardinals a technical foul, giving the Panthers’ Ashton Gibbs two shots from the line.  He would hit both, giving Pittsburgh one last shot to tie the game.  Gibbs would miss, however, saving the Cards’ male cheerleader from the agony of becoming Louisville’s very own version of  the Cubs’ Steve Bartman.

Following the game, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino joked that this would be the end of the male cheerleader, stating that “it was good while it lasted,” before informing us all that “you could actually lose a game like that.”

We are well aware Rick.  We almost witnessed it right before our eyes yesterday afternoon.

And for those of you who didn’t, here it is.

In a feisty Saturday afternoon affair that saw 43 fouls and three technicals handed out, Pitt prevailed against Villanova, ending the Wildcats’ 46-game win streak at The Pavilion.  As for the turning point of the game, that would come less than four minutes into the second half, after Nova’s Isaiah Armwood connected on a right hook to the face of Pitt’s Nasir Robinson.  Armwood delivered the punch while seemingly attempting to put his arm around teammate Mouphtaou Yarou, but after an official review it was determined to be worthy of a technical foul.

The Panthers would go on a 19-6 run following the punch and never trailed again, hanging on for the 57-54 victory.

The win gives Pittsburgh a remarkable 11-1 record in Big East play, putting them one win ahead of Notre Dame (10-3), and two up on Georgetown (9-3).  When you consider the fact that Pitt remains on top of the Big East Conference, which currently has six teams ranked within the Associated Press’ Top 12, it is hard to believe that they will not be ranked number one come Monday, after former No.1 Ohio State lost its first game of the season.  But with Kansas and Texas both ranked two and three headed into last week, it is unlikely that the Panthers will be able to play leapfrog with the two Big 12 schools.  Although, that doesn’t really seem to matter to them, according to starting guard Brad Wanamaker:

“(W)e want to be in the conversation among the elite at the end of the season, not now. When they start talking about the national championship, that’s when we want to be talked about.’’ [ESPN]

Well the Panthers certainly seem to be on the right path, and it is going to take more than just a single punch to knock them off it.  Armwood tried that already and failed.  You can check it out below.

So what were they dancing to?  You name it!  Soulja Boy, the Macarena, the Chicken Dance, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Sugarhill Gang, and even a bit of river dancing and limbo thrown in there.  We would like to know who the person in charge of creating such a compilation was.

The clip is 12 minutes long, but the dancing lasted much longer.  It is agonizing and good all at once.

Hat Tip Video – [Deadspin]