Northwestern player hilariously omits FAU’s big man’s name while describing last-second shot

Northwestern came into its first-round 8/9 matchup against FAU with a banged-up supporting cast around Boo Buie, but it was that supporting cast that lifted the Wildcats over the Owls 77-65 in overtime. Buie finished with 22 points, but Ryan Langborg led the way with 27 and Brooks Barnhizer hit the game-tying shot in the final seconds of regulation. 

Dusty May’s FAU Owls became household names a year ago on their run to the Final Four and Vladislav Goldin was one of the key pieces of that team, but nobody told Barnhizer that. When asked about the final play, Barnhizer said “I think the original play was for Boo, but they were denying Boo… I gave the ‘big dude’ a shot fake.”

Barnhizer wasn’t the only funny moment from Nortwestern’s postgame presser. The Wildcats struggled mightily in the first half, finishing with just 19 points, but were still only down one. After a win, head coach Chris Collins was quick to poke fun at his team’s shooting woes, saying his team couldn’t “throw it in the ocean.”

The Wildcats will soldier on in the tournament, likely facing No. 1 overall seed UConn in the Round of 32. The Huskies started their 16-1 matchup with Stetson up 21-4 through the first 10 minutes.

Collins will be hoping for a much better first half in Sunday’s game because his team won’t be able to get away with a shooting slump against the defending champs, and I’m pretty sure Barnhizer and the rest of the Wildcats are going to know the name Donovan Clingan, UConn’s “big dude.”