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March Madness 2016: Top 5 moments of the NCAA Tournament second round

By Connor Muldowney

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Mar 20, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Rex Pflueger (0) tips in the winning basket against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks during the second half in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Rex Pflueger (0) tips in the winning basket against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks during the second half in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Notre Dame’s tip for the win

Stephen F. Austin was another top candidate to be this year’s Cinderella favorite. The Lumberjacks were laying it on Notre Dame, leading until very late in the second half. How late, you might ask? Well, the Lumberjacks held a one-point lead until the final second of the game, and then the Fighting Irish stole a victory.

With time ticking away on Mike Brey’s season, his Fighting Irish had a chance to finish with a one-point win with a made two-pointer. Notre Dame’s Rex Pflueger happened to be in the right place at the perfect time after a couple of Fighting Irish misses and tipped in the game-winner with 1.5 seconds left.

"Rex Pflueger picked a great time for his only basket. Elation for Notre Dame. Heartbreak for SFA. https://t.co/PkiOs8XaMY — CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2016"

Notre Dame’s Zach Auguste had the first rebound and put up a shot that looked like it might go in and he couldn’t get it in with an aggressive group of defenders in front of his face. Pflueger went up with his right hand and tipped it perfectly into the bucket for the lead.

Stephen F. Austin’s half-court try was way off the mark, but you have to hand it to the Lumberjacks for nearly making it to the Sweet 16 as a No. 14 seed. If you had them going even to the second round, hats off to you as well.

Next: 1. Wisconsin for the win

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