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The Marquette Golden Eagles had Monday's quarterfinal match-up at the Maui Invitational against the Butler Bulldogs all but locked up, when Butler guard Rotnei Clarke went up for a running, last-second shot from well past 3-point range, the kind of shot that only goes in once in a million tries. Unfortunately for Marquette, this was precisely that time.
Clarke's stunning buzzer-beater at the end of regulation Monday evening gave the Bulldogs a 72-71 victory over Marquette, pushing Butler into the semifinals in Maui when seconds earlier it had seemed like the team was booked for a flight back home.
Rather than try to describe the scene, here it is in video form:
Fading to his right with a hand in his face and at least 25 feet of hardwood separating him and the hoop, Clarke somehow took the perfect shot, much to the pleasure of fans throughout the packed arena in Maui.
It may not be March yet, but there's little doubt that the madness of college basketball is back.