NCAA Tournament: Little Rock stuns Purdue in double overtime

Little Rock storms back to pull of a shocking upset over Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. 

The Sun Belt Tournament Champion is headed to the second round of the Big Dance for the second year in a row, and once again it’s thanks largely to a shot from well beyond the 3-point line in the closing seconds of regulation.

The 12-seed Little Rock Trojans topped 5-seed Purdue 85-83 in double overtime.

Anybody who watched the tournament last year undoubtedly remembers RJ Hunter’s heave to lift 13-seed Georgia State over 4-seed Baylor. Hunter made everyone forget about an awful offensive set while his father and head coach Ron — who was in a customized scooter after tearing his achilles celebrating Georgia State’s Sun Belt Tournament Championship win — fell to the ground celebrating.

This year Josh Hagins hit the shot that sent sports bars and living rooms across the country into a frenzy:

While it didn’t have the great backstory and it wasn’t a game-winner, Hagins’ shot is likely to be one that we’ll see again during future NCAA Tournaments.

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Hagins, who had just two points on 1-o-5 shooting at halftime, finished with a career high 31 points on 10-for-20 shooting from the field. Prior to Thursday, Hagins’ season-high scoring total was 20 points.

In the final five minutes of regulation and the two overtime sessions, Hagins outscored Purdue 21-20.

With 3:33 to play in regulation, Little Rock trailed 65-52 before head coach Chris Beard’s decision to apply pressure completely changed the game. Little Rock forced three steals while Purdue shot 1-of-5 down the stretch. The Trojans shot 7-of-7 in the closing minutes and Hagins had his prayer answered with four seconds remaining in regulation.

Little Rock never trailed by more than a possession in the first overtime. Marcus Johnson nearly ended the game after launching a three-quarter court shot off of a rebound in the final seconds of the extra period. Johnson’s shot fell short, and the game went to second overtime.

The Trojans quickly pulled ahead by five points in the second overtime session, but a pair of quick shots allowed Purdue to close the gap to one point. Little Rock struggled from the free throw line, but Purdue was unable to retake the lead.

Purdue had a chance to hold for the last shot, but Johnny Hill lost his balance going in for the shot and failed to convert on his attempt at the game-winner.

On paper, Purdue looked like the worst matchup for Little Rock among the 5-seeds. While the Trojans play excellent defense, only 6-foot-10 Lis Shoshi seemed to have the size to contend with Purdue’s three NBA prospect big men, and he weighs in at just 210 pounds.

Little Rock overcame it’s serious size disadvantage in part because Hagins’ career scoring day and the team forced 18 turnovers.

More busting brackets: Previewing the West Region

Little Rock moves on to play 4-seed Iowa State on Saturday in the second round of the tournament. The Cyclones beat 13-seed Iona 94-81 earlier Thursday afternoon.