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The block that never happened.
No. 13 Samford on Thursday trailed No. 4 Kansas 90-89 with 15 seconds to go in the second half of their March Madness contest. The Bulldogs had been on an incredible run in the second half after trailing by double-digits in each period.
Then, when Kansas guard Nicolas Timberlake had a fastbreak opportunity, referees blew the whistle when Samford guard A.J. Staton-McCray appeared to foul the Jayhawk as he landed hard.
Timberlake would make both free throws to push the lead to 92-89, but, upon further review of the play, it looked like Staton-McCray got all ball for a block.
The Bulldogs would not score after that play and lost 93-89, though things could’ve been different if the foul was not called.
The result means Kansas will play No. 5 Gonzaga in the second round, while Samford will have to watch the rest of the tournament from home.
Samford trailed 48-38 after the first half but, even after trailing by 22 at one point in the second, outscored Kansas 51-45 in the period after catching fire late.
Social media, understandably, erupted after the game. Here are some of the best reactions: