Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes delivered the final blow in a stunning second-round NCAA Tournament win against overall No. 1 seed Villanova. His lefty layup with 11 seconds left proved to be the difference in Wisconsin’s 65-62 win.
Where did Hayes find the inspiration to make that bucket? From the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan:
“I drove baseline, and if you guys are familiar with the Michael Jordan highlight, the fake spin back? I did my fake spin back, got to my left hand, and fortunately it went in,” Hayes told CBS’ Allie LaForce.
Hayes is referring to this famous play Jordan made against the Knicks in the 1991 NBA Playoffs:
Hayes didn’t exactly have the, uh, emphatic finish that Jordan did, but the rest looks mighty familiar. Jordan was initially cut off by Charles Oakley, but then hit him with a fake spin move to sneak around on the baseline for the dunk over Patrick Ewing. Hayes was initially cut off by Mikal Bridges, but then hit him with a fake spin move to sneak around on the baseline for the layup. Take away the jam, and it’s the exact same move.
How’s that for knowing your basketball history?