The NCAA tournament is filled with heartbreaking moments, but perhaps none are as painful as the unforced errors that contribute to a loss.
That’s what happened to Gonzaga senior guard Josh Perkins, who accidentally got a technical foul with 12 seconds left in the game because he reached across the baseline to hit the ball away as Texas Tech senior guard Matt Mooney attempted to inbound the ball.
The Red Raiders only had a 71-69 lead at that point, thanks to a layup from sophomore guard Zach Norvell Jr. But as Mooney faked the inbound, Perkins reached across for the ball, which is an automatic technical foul. Red Raiders’ Davide Moretti made both free throws, and his team got the ball back with a four-point advantage.
No. 3 seed Texas Tech ultimately won, 75-69, over the No. 1 seed Bulldogs for its first trip to the Final Four in program history.
After the game, Perkins was clearly emotional and said he’ll be thinking about that costly error forever.
Perkins explained:
“He was ball-faking a lot. I thought he ball-faked right in front of me, and I guess, you know, instinctively I reached at it. Bonehead play. Something I’ll think about forever. So unfortunately, that happened.”
That’s just an absolutely devastating way to end your season and college career.
