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NCAA Tournament 2017: 15 best moments

By Nathaniel Reeves

Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels players hoist the national championship trophy after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels players hoist the national championship trophy after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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March 16, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Bryant McIntosh (30) celebrates the 68-66 victory against the Vanderbilt Commodores following the second half of the first round of the NCAA tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
March 16, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Bryant McIntosh (30) celebrates the 68-66 victory against the Vanderbilt Commodores following the second half of the first round of the NCAA tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Northwestern wins first ever tournament game on Vanderbilt blunder

Getting to the NCAA Tournament for the first time wasn’t enough for Northwestern, which picked up an opening round victory over Northwestern in perhaps the most bizarre finish of the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats broke their 108-year postseason drought with a 23-11 season to earn a No. 8 seed. In the First Round, Northwestern would meet 15-loss Vanderbilt for a chance to improve to 1-0 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

Northwestern would get off to a hot start and lead by as much as 10 early in the second half. The Commodores battled back over the final eight minutes, and went up a point with 17 seconds to go on Riley LaChance’s layup.

Appearing to be unaware of the score, Vanderbilt’s Matthew Fisher-Davis intentionally fouled Bryant McIntosh, who hit a pair of free throws to put Northwestern back up. LaChance missed a jumper from well beyond the arc, sealing a historic 68-66 victory for Northwestern.

The Wildcats had a chance to pull off an upset in the next round over Gonzaga, but lost in another exciting finish. While the loss was certainly far from all Fisher-Davis’ fault, his mistake won’t be forgotten by college basketball fans anytime soon.

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