Baylor Edges Arizona State In Nail-Biting NCAA Tournament Showdown

Baylor Edges Arizona State In Nail-Biting NCAA Tournament Showdown...

Baylor University narrowly defeated Arizona State 72-70 in a thrilling first-round NCAA Tournament game Thursday night in Denver. The matchup is trending nationally as fans debate a controversial no-call in the final seconds that could have sent the Sun Devils to the free-throw line for a potential game-tying opportunity.

With 3.2 seconds remaining, Arizona State's Frankie Collins drove to the basket and appeared to draw contact from Baylor's Jalen Bridges, but officials allowed play to continue. The no-call sparked immediate outrage from Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley, who received a technical foul for storming onto the court in protest.

Baylor's Ja'Kobe Walter led all scorers with 22 points, including four crucial free throws in the final minute. The Bears (23-10) advance to face No. 3 seed Creighton on Saturday, while Arizona State (22-12) sees its tournament run end in heartbreaking fashion.

The game trended on social media throughout Thursday night, with #BaylorvsASU peaking at over 85,000 tweets. Many basketball analysts called it the most controversial finish of the tournament's opening day. ESPN's Jay Bilas tweeted that the play "absolutely should have been a foul" in the final seconds.

This marks Baylor's sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under coach Scott Drew. The 2021 national champions showed poise down the stretch despite shooting just 39% from the field. Arizona State's loss ends an impressive late-season surge that saw them win eight of their last ten games to earn an at-large bid.

Tournament officials have not commented on the controversial ending. Under NCAA rules, such judgment calls cannot be reviewed via instant replay. The intense matchup drew strong ratings for CBS, with early numbers showing it as Thursday's second-most-watched early window game behind North Carolina-Wagner.

Baylor now turns its attention to Creighton, while Arizona State players expressed frustration in postgame interviews. "We fought all the way to the end," said Sun Devils guard Jose Perez. "It's tough when the game comes down to one play that didn't go our way."