Cincinnati vs. UConn: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 AAC Tournament

March Madness announced its arrival with authority Friday afternoon at the American Athletic Conference tournament, as the Connecticut Huskies defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 104-97 in quadruple-overtime to set up a semifinal date against Temple University. 

In a frenzied back-and-forth affair at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, the Bearcats and Huskies traded buckets in ways that conjured up memories of Syracuse's six-overtime defeat of UConn at the 2009 Big East tournament. 

After neither side could break through during each of the first two overtimes, Cincinnati's Kevin Johnson drilled what appeared to be a game-winning three-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining. But UConn had a miracle in mind. 

Off a baseline inbounds pass, UConn's Jalen Adams launched a three-quarters-court heave that banked in and forced a fourth extra session, as The Cauldron documented on Twitter: 

The American Athletic Conference on Twitter offered another angle of Adams' spectacular shot: 

ESPN Stats & Info explained just how improbable the conversion was, citing Adams' season-long struggles from beyond the arc:

As the insanity unfolded, Fox Sports' Reid Forgrave noted that the Huskies' prayer could wind up playing a pivotal role in shaking up the month of March: 

"That's legendary stuff," UConn head coach Kevin Ollie said after the win, per the Hartford Courant's Dom Amore. "That shot's gonna be talked about a long time."

However, Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin didn't exactly agree with Ollie's glowing assessment. 

"I felt we won the game and the game was taken away from us, so that's my opinion," Cronin said, according to the New Haven Register's David Borges. "In 0.8, you can't catch the ball, take two steps and then shoot it. You can't catch it, turn, bring it below your waist then shoot it with enough force to shoot it 80 feet in 0.8 seconds. The clock didn't start nearly on time. I've watched it five times."

Once the fourth overtime rolled around, Connecticut capitalized on a sudden spark and pulled away from the Bearcats behind a couple of clutch jumpers from Adams and Daniel Hamilton. 

Hamilton, in particular, was huge for the Huskies, as he dropped a team-high 32 points to go with 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Adams added 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting off the pine, while Sterling Gibbs and Rodney Purvis tallied 14 points apiece as UConn went on to shoot 43.9 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three. 

Cincinnati's Troy Caupain led all scorers with 37 points on 11-of-30 shooting (4-of-9 from three), including a clutch jumper with 15 seconds remaining in overtime No. 2 to briefly give the Bearcats a 75-73 lead. 

Cronin's squad may feel sick to its collective stomach after watching what appeared to be a sure win slip away following Adams' desperation chuck, but as ESPN's Dick Vitale explained, the effort both teams flashed throughout Friday's thriller should bode well for their NCAA tournament prospects come Selection Sunday: 

As for the Huskies, March magic seems to be run-of-the-mill stuff at this point. 

Two years removed from a stunning NCAA tournament run that culminated in Ollie's upstart No. 7 seed capturing a national championship over John Calipari's powerhouse Kentucky team, UConn is in position to parlay its new-found momentum into another improbable bracket-busting foray. 

Not only are the Huskies now favorites to win the AAC tournament, per ESPN Stats & Info, but Yahoo Sports' Brad Evans considers them a sure thing to clinch a spot in the Big Dance: 

But UConn can't celebrate just yet.

Ollie's squad dropped both regular-season meetings against Temple, and the Owls are coming off a dominant 79-62 win over South Florida on Friday.

And now that the Huskies' legs are tired following a marathon victory, the AAC tournament could produce another gem on Saturday with conference bragging rights on the line.  

Postgame Reaction

As things unfolded, UConn alum and Sacramento Kings swingman Caron Butler posted a video of his reaction to Adams' heave on Instagram: 

Once things went final, ThePostGame.com used a single GIF to explain how college basketball fans across the country reacted to the madness: 

Meanwhile, the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham came away impressed by UConn's resilience:  

ESPN FC's Tim Fontenault noted Friday represented the continuation of a trend that's cropped up throughout the decade: 

"The least I could do was get a shot up," Adams said of his prayer, per Amore. "Daniel passed me the ball. Nobody was in front of me, so I shot the ball as quick as I could, and I watched it go in. It was just amazing."