Matthew Fisher-Davis Discusses Fouling Northwestern with Lead in NCAA Tournament

The ninth-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores appeared in line for an NCAA tournament win over the No. 8 Northwestern Wildcats on Thursday when Riley LaChance gave them a one-point lead with 17.8 seconds to go. 

However, an intentional foul by Matthew Fisher-Davis three ticks later sent the Wildcats to the line, where Bryant McIntosh knocked down what proved to be the game-winning free throws. 

After the loss, Fisher-Davis owned up to his mistake and admitted he thought the Commodores were still down following LaChance's layup. 

"I actually thought we were down one," Fisher-Davis said after the first-round loss, per the Associated Press' Eddie Pells. "Coach...pointed at him, but he was just telling me that was my matchup. I took it as (I should) foul."

Despite the costly error, Fisher-Davis played a great game. The Commodores dropped 39 second-half points to nearly knock off the Wildcats, and all told, the junior dropped a team-high 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-8 from three. 

Without that production, Vanderbilt may have never been in a position to take a late lead and give the Wildcats a scare. 

"He's the type of person (who's going to) feel some blame," forward Luke Kornet said, per Pells. "But in the second half, we have no chance if he doesn't make the shots that he made. We're with him no matter what."

Ultimately, Fisher-Davis told reporters his mental slip-up will prove to be a blip on the radar. 

"We all love each other like brothers," he said, per Pells. "They know I didn't do that on purpose, obviously. We had a great season. Nothing to be ashamed of."

While the Commodores are headed home, the Wildcats will turn their attention to a second-round date with the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, who dispatched the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 66-46 on Thursday. 

Northwestern projects as a sizable underdog in that clash considering it's coming off the program's first NCAA tournament win, but a strong offensive showing against Vanderbilt that featured 49.1 percent shooting from the field and 42.9 percent shooting from three suggests the Wildcats could make life tough for the Bulldogs on Saturday.