Friday night’s men’s NCAA tournament brought some serious stunners. While No. 1 Purdue’s loss to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson was the headliner, No. 8 Memphis failed to take advantage of an open pathway to the Sweet 16, falling apart down the stretch in a dramatic 66–65 loss to No. 9 Florida Atlantic.
The finish was not without controversy, as the officials did not award Memphis a timeout after the Tigers appeared to recover a loose ball with 5.5 seconds left on the clock, with the team up one point. Instead, the officials called a jump ball with the possession arrow favoring FAU, giving the Owls one last possession. Nicholas Boyd made a game-winning layup to eliminate Penny Hardaway’s team from the Big Dance.
As the game came to a close, a frustrated Hardaway sent his water bottle into orbit, in a viral moment caught on camera.
