Seton Hall Nearly Pulled Off a Miracle Against Villanova


You can’t throw a better full-court pass than this.

Victory literally slipped through their fingers

Critics of college basketball will say that it’s inferior to the NBA because it’s messy, but sometimes that chaos is what makes it entertaining. The final two seconds of Villanova’s win over Seton Hall was sloppy as hell, but you can’t say that it wasn’t fun to watch.

The Pirates and Wildcats were tied at 74 after Seton Hall’s Takal Molson made a layup with 51 seconds to go. After Villanova missed a three at the other end, Seton Hall had a chance to hold for a game-winning final shot. Shavar Reynolds’s attempt at a deep three went begging, and in the ensuing bedlam beneath the basket, Molson was called for a foul with 1.9 seconds left on the clock.

The controversial foul call sent Villanova down to the other end for a pair of free throws. Cole Swider made just one, giving the Wildcats the lead but giving Seton Hall another chance to win with a two-point basket.

But in college, unlike in the NBA, you can’t call a timeout to advance the ball to midcourt. If the Pirates were going to get a look at a game-winner, they were going to need a perfect full-court pass to set it up.

Molson threw a flawless Patrick Mahomes-like sidearm pass right into the hands of Seton Hall’s best player, big man Sandro Mamukelashvili. And Mamukelashvili couldn’t corral it.

That’s a brutal way to lose a game, especially one that would have been a major upset. The 9–1 Wildcats are ranked third in the nation and were favored by nine points at home. But they hadn’t played since Dec. 23 after a COVID-19 outbreak forced six games to be postponed. The Pirates were in prime position to pick up a big win and it literally slipped through their fingers. 

The best of SI

The Jared Porter situation highlights the disgusting treatment of female sports reporters. ... The top 10 landing spots for Deshaun Watson. ... Of course the Eagles picked Carson Wentz over Doug Pederson

Around the sports world

Caris LeVert says being traded by the Nets could have saved his life after a physical revealed a mass on his kidney. ... Philip Rivers announced his retirement from the NFL. ... The Indian cricket team pulled off a historic upset over Australia on the Aussies’ home turf. ... The NBA is considering getting its players vaccinated against COVID-19 to demonstrate to the public that it’s safe

Steven Adams also had a great full-court pass

The way he whipped this ball is ridiculous

Anybody who thinks like those WFAN hosts is part of the problem

Kyrie is clearly thrilled to be doing press conferences again

Sarah Thomas will make history at the Super Bowl

He doesn’t actually believe this but it’s still a stupid thing to say 

Every promising Delonte West update is welcome news

Not sports

Northern Ireland might run out of jello and gravy because of Brexit. ... A Willy Wonka origin story called Wonka is set to come out in 2023. ... A Canadian teenager who got lost while snowmobiling survived by building a cave in the snow. ... A Texas family unable to smell due to COVID-19 was saved from a house fire by the one family member who isn’t sick

Science is so important

At least climate change sometimes looks kinda cool

A good song

Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.