It's the second half, and Montana is hanging in this game against an extremely talented Wisconsin team, when Money Williams steals a pass and is off down the court, avoiding his one man to beat with a sensational acrobatic move to fly through the air and lay the ball up--off the front of the rim.
When casual observers look at the scores of yesterday's game, they'll see us as yet another of the lower seeds--S.I.U., Alabama State, Wofford, Omaha--that got annihilated by one of the top seeds.
But unlike other blowout losses in first round games, such as to UNLV many years ago or Syracuse in San Jose or Wisconsin last time we met them, I will remember this game the way a tongue plays over a sore tooth. One that could have been much tighter had it not been for all the shots we left at the rim.
The final score certainly did not reflect how well Montana played.
It wasn't just this one missed layup by Money. Sawyer clanged a makeable bank shot; Whitney left a couple at the rim; Pridgen missed a few he normally would make; Money missed a few wide-open short jumpers that for him are...money.
Our kids put in one helluva effort against a very good, possibly Final Four team. The energy we expended on defense took its toll.
But those missed shots at the rim, they still hurt. And Money's missed layup of a potentially highlight-reel finish, that will live with me forever as a metaphor for this game.
When casual observers look at the scores of yesterday's game, they'll see us as yet another of the lower seeds--S.I.U., Alabama State, Wofford, Omaha--that got annihilated by one of the top seeds.
But unlike other blowout losses in first round games, such as to UNLV many years ago or Syracuse in San Jose or Wisconsin last time we met them, I will remember this game the way a tongue plays over a sore tooth. One that could have been much tighter had it not been for all the shots we left at the rim.
The final score certainly did not reflect how well Montana played.
It wasn't just this one missed layup by Money. Sawyer clanged a makeable bank shot; Whitney left a couple at the rim; Pridgen missed a few he normally would make; Money missed a few wide-open short jumpers that for him are...money.
Our kids put in one helluva effort against a very good, possibly Final Four team. The energy we expended on defense took its toll.
But those missed shots at the rim, they still hurt. And Money's missed layup of a potentially highlight-reel finish, that will live with me forever as a metaphor for this game.