Video: Ben Brust’s Miracle Buzzer-Beater Was A Gut-Punch For Michigan
Before the world cared about Michigan basketball, I sat in Crisler one night and watched this happen:
That year’s version of “Wisconsin’s short white guy with a buzzcut” missed. But his shot was so bad that it banked in off of the backboard.
Today? Not so much. After Tim Hardaway Jr. hit his own clutch shot, the new buzzcut-guy nailed one dead-center:
Wisconsin won in overtime after Ben Brust hit another 3-pointer in the final minute.
Two years ago, Wisconsin’s infuriating shot was just a blip, the ceremonial “snuffing-out” of another bubble team’s tournament hopes. Today? It was a bigger deal. Wisconsin students stormed the court, Spartan and Hoosier fans will be celebrating wildly all day, and the AP will have to give the national No. 1 ranking the the winless Grambling State Tigers in order to prevent its curse from doing any more harm.
That all being said; today still hurt, and it hurt a lot. Sure, it’s nice that Michigan is back from a 20-year exile, and sure, court-storming is a sign of respect in a weird, twisted way. But having a win robbed away from you creates one of those sick feelings that ignores all surrounding context.
Two years ago, the buzzer-beater pissed off Michigan so much that they tore through the rest of their schedule and earned a spot in the tournament. On Tuesday, this group travels to East Lansing. Don’t be surprised if Tom Izzo’s hair looks a bit grayer by the time that game tips off.
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