4th seed kansas jayhawks They led No. 13 seed Sanford by 22 points late in their first-round matchup in the 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament. That’s when the Bulldogs chipped away at the lead and began an inspired run to create what would become a March Madness classic.
Sanford, the Southern Conference champions, made it a one-point game with Jaden Campbell’s incredible 3-pointer with 20 seconds left. Kansas inbounded the ball and chucked it downcourt to Nick Timberlake. Timberlake could have pulled up and tried more clocks, but decided to attempt a dunk instead. Sanford’s AJ Staton McCray came from behind and made one of the best pursuit blocks I’ve ever seen.
The only problem was that the referee called it a foul. Timberlake received two free throws and made them to end the game.
Kansas defeated Sanford 93-89 in a game marred by an apparent erroneous foul call late in the game. Watch the amazing Staton vs. McCray chase down block here.
The referee was in perfection Even though they were in a position to make the call, they ignored it. It was a clean block that should have given Sanford the win on the final possession. This was sure to go down as one of the greatest defensive plays ever seen in March Madness. The referees robbed Sanford of a chance to win and robbed the fans of what could have been the greatest March moment of all time.
There were several replay reviews during the match, That particular play could not be reviewed. It’s a shame.
Kansas will face No. 5 seed Gonzaga in the Round of 32.
