College Basketball: Busting Brackets Midseason Awards

Best Game

Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

December 6th, 2014 – Gonzaga at Arizona

In early December, the Arizona Wildcats hosted the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a hotly contested meeting between the two premiere basketball programs of the West (who would have ever thought we’d say that about a game featuring Gonzaga?). What happened next was a beautiful depiction of the high drama that is college basketball when it is played at its highest level. The Bulldogs came out punching first, knowing that their shot at Arizona was one of the few opportunities they would have to prove themselves as a national contender. However, Arizona would soon regroup and respond to take control of the game late.

In the end, Gonzaga found themselves down three, but with their veteran leader at the line shooting three free throws. Byron Wesley, a USC transfer who was probably playing in the biggest game of his career, air-balled the first free throw and then missed the next two attempts as well. The horrific gaffe effectively sealed the game for Arizona and left us wondering about the legitimacy of the Zags. It also proved that despite some notable departures, the Wildcats were still a national contender, capable of beating a good team on a day when they did not play their best.

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