Game 8 - Valparaiso vs. Mississippi 1998

Our final game of the first session is one of the greatest first round games in the history of the Tournament.  I was in high school way back in 1998, and I actually worked as a basketball coach for younger kids.  All this is to say a coworker of mine was a proud graduate of Valparaiso University (shout out Phil Rath wherever you are), and had made me aware of their prowess long before the rest of the world caught on.  So to say I watched this game with great attention is putting it mildly.  And what a game it proved to be.  Valpo was led by longtime coach Homer Drew and his point guard son Bryce.  Bryce was a tremendous shooter and ballhandler and ran Homer's offense to perfection.  Valpo hadn't faced a team of Mississippi's caliber, however.  The Rebels were led by Ansu Sesay, a 6 foot 9 inch forward whose athleticism had been proving problematic for opponents the entire season.  The score was 69-67 Mississippi when Sesay stepped to the line for two shots with seconds to go.  The ensuing ten seconds is one of the more amazing things you'll ever see.  We have more than 10 seconds, though.  Watch this epic in full: