Northwestern Basketball: Wildcats clinch first ever NCAA Tournament bid on buzzer beater

Northwestern basketball beats Michigan on a buzzer beater off a full-court pass by Nathan Taphorn.

It’s that time of the year again. Magic. Dramatics. Intensity. March Madness.

And on the first day of the month, we have a thriller that will be remembered forever in Evanston.

For the first time in history, the Northwestern Wildcats are going dancing.

But they didn’t just beat Michigan at home to notch their 21st win of the season and their 10th Big Ten Conference win, they defeated the Wolverines, 67-65, on a Dererk Pardon buzzer beater that came off a full-court heave from Nathan Taphorn with 1.7 seconds remaining.

Chris Collins said after the game that they never practiced this play and that an assistant drew it up in the huddle beforehand, making this an incredible way to solidify their first-ever appearance in the Big Dance. The Wildcats now have wins over Wake Forest, Dayton, Indiana, Wisconsin (on the road) and Michigan, in addition to zero true bad losses (although they did get swept by Illinois).

This victory exemplified this Northwestern team, though. This year the Wildcats have been tough, more versatile, more athletic and a better passing team than in year’s past. And they sure proved it on Wednesday evening.

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They beat up the Wolverines in the paint, scoring 10 more points inside the colored area, notching nine second chance points and protecting the rim effectively.

The Wildcats were led by Vic Law Jr., who scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to snap his recent slump, and Bryant McIntosh (13 points and five assists). Scottie Lindsey continued to struggle (nine points), but the hero, Pardon, had nine points on 4-of-5 shooting and Taphorn and Gavin Skelly combined to score 12 points off the pine.

Despite Michigan featuring an improved and more active defense, the Wildcats shot 53 percent from the field overall and 39 percent from beyond the arc. Their ability to space the floor with Taphorn and Skelly while also having a bruiser in Pardon creates a unique look for their opponents.

Collins’ team also had 20 assists on 27 made field goals, showing crisp ball movement to counteract Michigan’s feistiness on the perimeter.

This was a back-and-forth game for much of the evening but the pace picked up significantly in the second half. The game slightly favored Michigan’s quickness, speed and ability to score in transition, but with McIntosh running the show and the urgency of this must-win game in the back of their minds, the Wildcats never surrendered. Both teams missed free throws and made critical mistakes down the stretch (Derrick Walton Jr. had a lane violation that negated a 1-and-1 and every Northwestern player failed to grab a rebound off a missed 1-and-1 free throw), but it was the home team that ultimately prevailed.

Zak Irvin missed a go-ahead three with seven seconds left and that’s when the magic happened. Taphorn heaved the ball the length of the floor, Pardon grabbed the rock over Walton and the big man finished the layup with ease at the buzzer, capping a historic evening.

BEDLAM IN EVANSTON!!! NORTHWESTERN IS GOING TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT!
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 2, 2017

The Wildcats still have one game remaining against Purdue on Sunday and the Big Ten Tournament next week in Washington D.C. However, they are playing for seeding at this point. Before this game against the Wolverines, Northwestern was a 10 seed in the South region, according to Joe Lunardi of ESPN’s Bracketology. They could rise, in my opinion, to at least an eight-seed depending on how things work out over the next couple of weeks.

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Regardless, Northwestern just achieved history. Collins just achieved history. And most importantly, these players will forever be remembered as the first team in school history to reach the grandest stage of all.

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