The first two rounds of the NCAA tournament is marked as a holiday weekend for basketball fans across the country. However, there will be no March Madness this time around due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With no brackets being busted, Warriors Wire is highlighting standout March performances from members on the current Golden State roster.
Before he was selected in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, Jordan Poole was coming off the bench for the Michigan Wolverines.
In 2018, Poole turned into a March Madness icon overnight. In the second round of the tournament, Michigan linked up with the sixth-seeded Houston Cougars. The round of 32 matchup turned into a classic.
Michigan and Houston exchanged haymakers throughout the game, but in the final minute, thing were notched at 61. Back-to-back free throws from Devin Davis gave the Cougars a two-point lead with 24 seconds on the clock. Luckily for Michigan, Davis missed his next set of free throws to give the Wolverines the ball back down two.
With four seconds left, Poole checked into the game. Michigan heaved the ball to the half-court line where Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman found Poole open behind the 3-point line.
Poole launched a shot deep beyond the arc that swished through the net as time expired. The 18-year-old freshman was mobbed by his teammates as they danced to the Sweet-16 with a 64-63 win. Poole finished the game with eight points in 11 minutes for Michigan.
Watch Poole’s epic game-winner via YouTube:
Poole’s Wolverines advanced all the way to the championship game, where they met Eric Paschall’s Villanova Wildcats. Jay Wright and Villanova cruised to a 79-62 victory to bring a banner back to Philadelphia.
