Furman University’s Jalen Slawson couldn’t believe the mistake the University of Virginia made on Thursday, and he made it known during the tunnel walk to the locker room. (Watch the videos below.)
Slawson and his underdog teammates had just defeated No. 4 seed Virginia in the NCAA Tournament’s first big upset of the day. But it may not have happened if Virginia’s Kihei Clark hadn’t heaved the ball in a panic as he was being double-teamed in the closing seconds.
The ball was intercepted by Furman, enabling JP Pegues to hit a 3-pointer that won the game 68-67. Clark could have called timeout (as could have coach Tony Bennett) so Virginia could keep possession. But the pressure of March Madness may have played a part.
“He just freakin’ threw the ball!” an incredulous Slawson said in a clip shared by Brendan Marks of The Athletic.
A distraught Clark, who played on Virginia’s 2019 NCAA championship team and has had a solid college career, may not have believed it either.
“Sucks for it to end like this,” he said.
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