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.
After the game, Hardaway kept things diplomatic when asked whether he felt his team should’ve been granted the timeout.
“Absolutely—if he called it before they called the jump ball,” he said, per the Commercial Appeal. “If he called timeout, then that’s a timeout. But, hey, that’s the way it works.”
With the win, FAU advances to face Fairleigh Dickinson with the Sweet 16 on the line. Tipoff on Sunday is set for 7:45 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on truTV.
