College Basketball Brain Farts

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

I’m starting this thread as a repository for videos and articles about its topic. My favorite three categories of college basketball brain farts are:

• Six players on the court.

• Mistakenly thinking the game is over before it is.

• Making a field goal in the wrong basket.


Six Players on the Court

I’ll start with George Washington’s famed 1-4-1 zone defence against the Dayton Flyers, which cost the Colonials the game with 21 seconds left to play. In the video below, GW is wearing the home white uniforms. They have one defender up front, four defenders at mid-court, and one defender at the far end of the court when Dayton inbounds the ball. Dayton Coach Brian Gregory spotted the problem straight away, but neither GW Coach Karl Hobbs nor the officials did until the Dayton coaching staff kicked up a fuss and got the technical foul called. Dayton then made three free throws for the 2-point win.

George Washington vs. Dayton Flyers - 6 Players on the Court – Youtube video - January 23, 2009

George Washington Falls to Dayton, 63-61, After Late Technical Foul - Washington Post article - January 23, 2009


Louisiana-Lafayette Uses Six Players To Win Game – Youtube video – January 5, 2012

With Louisiana-Lafayette [red uniforms] and Western Kentucky tied at 70, and 21 seconds remaining in the first overtime, the Ragin' Cajuns inbounded the ball with six men on the floor instead of five. Neither the referees nor the Hilltoppers spotted the blunder, enabling Louisiana-Lafayette's Elfrid Payton to give his team a 72-70 victory on a game-winning driving layup with three seconds left.

Mistakenly thinking the game is over before it is

College basketball player mistakenly dribbles clock out and celebrates with team trailing – USA Today article with video - November 28, 2016

Bryant had time to get a desperation shot off against Brown, but Bryant's Ikenna Ndugba evidently thought his team was winning. He dribbled to the far sideline to run out the clock and heaved the ball up in celebration as time expired. His team lost, 91-90.

Making a field goal in the wrong basket

Kentucky freshman James Young Makes Incredible Shot on the Wrong Basket – Youtube video - November 4, 2013


Florida lost to Florida State in the worst way possible - SB Nation article with video – December 30, 2014

Florida’s Jacob Kurtz tipped in Florida State's shot with nine seconds remaining to give Florida State the 65-63 win.

[stever20]

um, you missed maybe the most famous brain fart of all time, the Chris Webber time out when he didn't have any more in the title game.

[Hall2012]

Hard to call the Kentucky play a brain fart. I'd call it a great effort with one of the unluckiest results in basketball history.