Two years ago, the first weekend of the NCAA tournament featured one of the low-key worst calls in recent March history.
SMU, a No. 6 seed experiencing its first tournament breakthrough of the Larry Brown restoration, led its first-round opponent,13-loss, 11-seed UCLA by two with 22 seconds remaining. The Bruins inbounded from the sideline. By design, guard Norman Powell circled right and drove to the baseline, while Bryce Alford used a backscreen on the opposite wing. By the time Powell's pass hit Alford in the short corner, however, SMU's rangy defenders had closed in. Alford retreated, circled back around another screen, and then -- despite having 12 seconds left, despite Markus Kennedy's towering contest -- flung an inexplicable fadeaway prayer from 23 feet.