Last-second basket leaves Tech on NCAA bubble

Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: March 16, 2008

For an instant, A.D. Vassallo held the basketball in his hands. Just squeeze—he knew that’s all he needed to do. Hang on to the rebound, and Virginia Tech would have a chance to beat North Carolina, the nation’s top-ranked team, and secure an NCAA tournament bid that a month ago seemed so unreachable.

Then, as teammate Jeff Allen also leapt for the rebound, the ball popped out of Vassallo’s hands. It bounced toward the corner. Vassallo thought it would go out of bounds. But Carolina center Tyler Hansbrough scooted over, scooped it up, spun around. Tech guard Hank Thorns lunged at him, smacking Hansbrough’s hands as he flicked a 15-foot jump shot.

No foul. Just a swish and a roar from the Carolina-leaning crowd when Hansbrough’s shot fell with 0.8 seconds remaining, giving the Tar Heels a 68-66 victory in yesterday’s ACC tournament semifinal.

Vassallo looked up at the scoreboard and pulled the back of his jersey over his head. Tech coach Seth Greenberg pursed his lips and called a timeout. Hokies forward J.T. Thompson ached.

“I’ve been punched a couple times,“ he said. “That’s just like being punched in the face.“

The final blow came at the buzzer when Deon Thompson swatted away Malcolm Delaney’s inbounds pass on a final play that amounted to a full-court prayer. The loss left the Hokies’ NCAA fate in the selection committee’s hands, and now they can only wait and hope until the field of 65 is announced at 6 p.m. today.

The Hokies (19-13) did almost everything they wanted to yesterday except win. They led for all but 18.8 seconds of the second half. The Tar Heels (31-2) never led by more than three points all day, and they ended up 21 shy of their scoring average. No ACC team had held them to fewer than 75 points this season.

Greenberg’s voice cracked and his eyes welled with tears afterward as he talked about how much the Hokies have improved since losing by 39 points Feb. 16 at Carolina. He sipped water, cleared his throat, then lobbied emphatically for their inclusion in the NCAAs.

“If anyone watched that game that knows anything about basketball, if you don’t think this team is one of the top 65 teams in the country, you’re certifiably insane,“ he said. “As many good teams that are out there, I’m not sure how many people could come in this environment and be in position to win that game for 39 minutes and 59 seconds.“

Even with the game tied at 66, the Hokies seemed poised for a victory. Vassallo drew a double team with 30 seconds left in the game and dished to J.T. Thompson, who shot a wide-open 15-foot jumper from the wing.

“I just knew I made it,“ Thompson said later.

It bounced off the rim, setting up Carolina’s final possession. Point guard Ty Lawson drove toward the basket, but Thorns forced him out of the lane. Lawson’s falling-away jumper hit iron and landed every so briefly in Vassallo’s hands before it bounced to Hansbrough.

Other plays certainly kept Carolina in the game (see Hansbrough’s tip-in of Wayne Ellington’s missed free throw that made it 61-all with 2:43 left). But if the Hokies miss the NCAAs, the image of Hansbrough running down the court after his jumper, flailing his arms, might be their most vivid memory from this game.

Waiting today for the finality of 6 o’clock will weigh heavy on some Hokies.

“It’s going to be pretty nervous,“ senior forward Deron Washington said.

Others are surer they’ll get in.

“If I was to rank the teams, we would be a top-20 team in the country,“ Thorns said. “I think we’re that good.“

Vassallo seemed dismissive of the whole process.

“I really don’t care about that tournament crap,“ he said. “Whatever they want to pick. If they pick us, good. If not, we just go to some other tournament.“

But he knew a win yesterday likely would have ended all debate. In the empty moments after Hansbrough kept the Hokies in NCAA limbo, Vassallo replayed the decisive sequence in his mind. He thought about squeezing the ball, about what could have been, and he told Washington, “I had the rebound.“