Ten Best Moments in Big East Tournament History

Eye-Popping Injury

Mar 16, 2012; Greensboro, NC, USA; NCAA logo shot during the second round of the 2012 NCAA men

The 2006 Big East tournament was a classic by any standard. Syracuse defeated Pitt in the tournament final that season, but the moment that is seared most vividly into many fans’ minds came during the semifinal game between Pitt and Villanova.

Late in the game, Villanova guard Allen Ray was inadvertently poked in the eye by Pitt’s Carl Krauser. On the live telecast and on the subsequent replays, it appeared Ray had suffered a devastating injury. It looked for all the world like Ray’s eye had been poked right out of the socket, and reports were that Ray left the court screaming that he could not see.

As it turns out, the gruesome injury was not particularly serious. Allen’s eye never actually left its socket. It looked gross because his eyelid was rolled up as a result of the poke by Krauser. Ray returned to action for the Wildcats less than a week later and played in the NCAA tournament without goggles.