Death, taxes and the University of Northern Iowa hitting miraculous buzzer-beaters in the NCAA tournament.
Five years after school legend Ali Farokmanesh drilled a three to upset top-seeded Kansas in a second-round game in Oklahoma City, UNI added a major dose of Madness to March with yet another buzzer-beater (also in Oklahoma City) - this one far more of the "I don't believe what I just saw" variety.
After Texas tied the game on a floater with 2.7 seconds left, UNI senior Paul Jesperson took the inbound pass near the sideline, dribbled once to his left and then launched a half-court Hail Mary. It looked long the whole way, likely making everyone on the floor, in the crowd and at home think the same thing: overtime. Well, the ball was long. Perfectly long.
There have been better game-winning plays (Tyus Edney going the distance, the throw to Bryce Drew) and in bigger moments (Christian Laettner and N.C. State), but in terms of straight buzzer-beating shots with context thrown out, Jesperson's immediately goes down as one of the greatest in tournament history, if not the best.
