West Virginia Buzzer Beater Stuns Bearcats

The Cincinnati Bearcats run at a Big East Tournament Championship came to an abrupt end last night and once again it happened in all too familiar fashion.  

West Virginia star De'Sean Butler banked in a deep three pointer over the hand of Lance Stephenson propelling the Mountaineers to a 54-51 victory in the Big East quarterfinals. For the Bearcats it was a disappointing way to end a surprisingly successful trip to New York.

For a team that had lost five of their last six and eight of their last eleven, Cincinnati came into the tournament not having won a game in March since 2006. For perhaps the first time since November in Maui, the Bearcats played like they were supposed to all season. For a few days in March, Bearcat basketball returned to its old form. 

The Bearcats played as hard as they have played in head coach Mick Cronin's four seasons, out hustling and out rebounding their opponents. For three games at Madison Square Garden, the Cincinnati Bearcats offered fans a glimpse from the past and possibly a glimpse of the future.

Freshman Lance Stephenson came back to his hometown and showed why he is such a special player, dazzling the crowd with his acrobatic spin moves into the lane and his clutch shots down the stretch.  

The Bearcats were physical, mean, and aggressive, and while at times over-matched in talent, they made up for it with their scrappy play.  

For a team that is one of the worst shooting in the country, Cincinnati did everything else right in wins over Rutgers and Louisville. They were doing everything else right against West Virginia and had the ball with the score tied at 51 and only 6 seconds remaining. They had a shot to win the game and beat the number six team in the country, until an all too familiar ending occurred for the Bearcats.  

Bearcat fans certainly remember Miles Simon's 75-foot prayer to beat the Bearcats in the late 90s or even the West Virginia three point bomb to knock Cincinnati out of the NCAA Tournament in 1998. Didn't Ruben Patterson tip that ball?    

But, with six seconds to go the Bearcats inbounded to guard Dion Dixon who never really got a good handle on the ball before dribbling it out of bounds with three seconds to go. As West Virginia called their final timeout, I could not help but think back to a similar Cincinnati ending some 15 years ago.

I distinctly remember Charles Williams dribbling off himself with the game tied in the final seconds of the Crosstown Shootout against Xavier, giving Xavier the ball back and allowing Lenny Brown a shot to knock off the number one team in the country.

During the timeout Dion Dixon sat in disgust, praying WVU didn't break the Bearcats heart again. As the inbounds pass went to Butler, Stephenson was right on him. He had no choice but to raise up and bank in a three pointer as the final horn sounded. Goodnight New York for the Bearcats.   

Another disappointing ending to an otherwise good showing on college basketball's premier stage.

As selection Sunday approaches, Cincinnati certainly has no shot for an at large bid, but the effort and hustle shown by this team has me excited for an NIT birth. If Cincinnati can build on the showing at Madison Square heading into the NIT, there is certainly a chance for a return visit to New York for the NIT Final Four.

Maybe this time the Bearcats can leave with a different result.