NCAA Upset: No. 8 Butler Knocks out No. 1 Pitt

The first big bracket buster of the NCAA Tournament has officially taken place in the third round. The Butler University Bulldogs provided a shock in the Southeast Region over the weekend, squeaking past the top-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers in the final seconds of Saturday’s third-round game. Butler was up by one going into the final 2 seconds of the game, but in a baffling move with 1.4 seconds left of play time, Butler’s Shelvin Mack fouled Pitt’s Gilbert Brown, sending him to the line.

Brown made his first shot but missed the second, and upon rebounding the ball Butler’s Matt Howard was fouled by Nasir Robinson, sending Butler’s best player to the line with less than a second left to go in the game. Howard made his first shot and intentionally missed the second, giving Butler a 71-70 lead as time expired on the court.

The Bulldogs have now beaten the No. 1 team in their bracket and look forward to their entrance into the Sweet Sixteen. Pitt, on the other hand, walks away with heads hung low. Robinson spoke with ESPN after Saturday’s game, choking up as he talked about fouling Matt Howard. “I’ve been playing basketball my whole life and I know I shouldn’t have done that,” Robinson said. “It was a stupid play. It wasn’t the ref’s fault. It was my fault.”

Butler will now play No. 4 Wisconsin in New Orleans in the Sweet Sixteen.

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