Houston Beat Memphis On A Banked In Heave To Possibly End The Tigers Tournament Dreams

It’s March, in case you hadn’t heard, and as such, it’s that time of year for college basketball to take center stage and turn up the drama as we approach NCAA Tournament time.

On Sunday, a red-hot Memphis team visited No. 9 Houston in a massive game for their NCAA Tournament hopes, as the Tigers are currently on the outside looking in on the tournament according to most bracketologists, and a win over a top-10 squad would’ve gone a long way to getting Penny Hardaway’s team into the field. With 10 seconds to play and trailing 64-61, Memphis needed a three to force overtime and, after a miss and offensive rebound, they got it from Boogie Ellis with just under two seconds to play.

With Houston needing to go the full length of the court for a game-winner of their own, it seemed all but assured we’d be headed to an extra frame, but Tramon Mark had different ideas, as he caught the ball near midcourt, turned and managed to bank in a prayer to give Houston the win and hand Memphis a gutting loss.

It’s the kind of moment you dream about as a player in March, the chance to hit a buzzer-beater in a massive game, whether in the tournament or in the weeks leading up where seeding is on the line. Memphis, falling to 15-7 on the season, will now need a lot of help or a run in the AAC Tournament next week to get themselves into the dance.