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Northwestern shores up NCAA Tournament resume with Hail Mary buzzer beater

By Chris Stone

Mar 1, 2017; Evanston, IL, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Derrick Walton Jr. (10) is defended by Northwestern Wildcats guard Scottie Lindsey (20) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2017; Evanston, IL, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Derrick Walton Jr. (10) is defended by Northwestern Wildcats guard Scottie Lindsey (20) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /
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This should finally be the year for Northwestern

The Northwestern Wildcats have never made the NCAA Tournament, and after five losses in seven games, things were getting a bit dicey in Evanston. That is, until Wednesday night when sophomore Dererk Pardon caught a full court Hail Mary pass and turned to score a game-winning, buzzer beating bucket against the Michigan Wolverines:

Pardon told Big Ten Network after the game that the play was designed for him to slip a screen and head to the basket. He said one of his coaches told him to simply catch it and score. The play worked perfectly. Michigan switched Derrick Walton, a 6-foot-1 guard, onto the 6-foot-8 Pardon who caught a pass from Nathan Taphorn that looked like it belonged on a football field rather than a basketball court.

The win almost certainly guarantees the Wildcats a long-awaited spot in the NCAA Tournament. It gives Northwestern four RPI top 50 wins, an important statistic given how often it is cited by the Selection Committee as a reason for making at-large decisions. The Wildcats are now also 10-9 against the RPI top 100.

Northwestern needed a strong performance during Big Ten play because their non-conference strength of schedule ranks 165th out of 351 teams in Division I. A winning record in the league will no doubt look good to the committee on Selection Sunday.

It has been a long wait for Northwestern fans with several near misses over the years, but Dererk Pardon likely delivered on history Wednesday night. All he had to do was catch the ball and score.