From
Contenders coming into focus as regular season winds down -- or are they?
by C.L. Brown
ESPN Staff Writer
"In Joe Lunardi's
updated Bracketology, he has TCU as the last team in his last four in. The Horned Frogs, losers of five straight games, had a chance to boost their NCAA tournament resume with their first win over a ranked team this season.
But with the score tied Saturday against No. 12 West Virginia, Jaylen Fisher was whistled for a foul with 4.8 seconds left. West Virginia guard Daxter Miles made one of two free throws
for a 61-60 Mountaineers victory.
Northwestern, seeking its first NCAA tournament bid in the history of its program, had a chance to win at Indiana for the first time since 2014. But Thomas Bryant completed a 3-point play with 2.6 seconds left
in the Hoosiers' 63-62 win. The Wildcats have now dropped five of their past seven, with tough games remaining against Michigan and Purdue.
In both cases, the contact made did not give the defensive player a clear advantage, nor did it impede the offensive players' ability to make moves. Hopefully this is not an indication of how things will be called in the postseason.
Imagine if North Carolina committed some inadvertent bump at midcourt and Villanova shot free throws to win last year's title game instead of Kris Jenkins delivering a shot for the ages?
Leave late-game situations up to the players to decide."