The Cincinnati Bearcats appeared ticketed for their first Sweet 16 since 2012. Then, suddenly, their 22-point lead evaporated, and they are headed home.
When Jarron Cumberland laid the ball into the basket with 11:34 remaining in the second half, people began circling “CINCINNATI” on their brackets. Those people were hopefully using pencil.
Over the final 11 minutes, the Nevada Wolf Pack put the Madness in March, scoring a whopping 32 points to stun the Bearcats, 75-73. Nevada did not lead at any point in the game until Josh Hall hit a jumper with 10 seconds remaining, giving the Wolf Pack its first and only advantage of the night.
Cincinnati would go 3-for-16 from the field after Cumberland’s aforementioned points, leading to one of the biggest collapses we’ve ever seen. It’s bad enough to blow a large lead in the first half, but doing so at that juncture requires complete ineptitude on both ends of the court.
UNBELIEVABLE.
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) March 19, 2018
No. 7 Nevada overcame a 22-point deficit to upset No. 2 Cincinnati and advance to the #Sweet16! #MarchMadness (🎥: @marchmadness) pic.twitter.com/iYmpzsCj5u
Of course, the Bearcats are used to having rough offensive performances in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mick Cronin. While Cincinnati is almost always guaranteed a spot in the dance, it is also equally reliable when it comes to shooting bricks in the big moments. In 2013, the Bearcats scored a measly 57 points as a fifth seed, losing in the first round to the Harvard Crimson. The following year, Cincinnati managed 51 points in a second-round defeat to the Kentucky Wildcats.
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Yet it is this loss that ranks as the worst because of the bracket ahead and the lead choked away. Cincinnati had already seen the first and third seeds eliminated from its South region, knowing it had a golden opportunity ahead.
Instead, the Bearcats now head home, with the Wolf Pack advancing, both in equal parts disbelief.