Ann Arbor — Almost a year later, the miraculous play still cuts deep.
With the game tied at 65 and 1.7 seconds left, Northwestern’s Nathan Taphorn heaved a full-court pass to Dererk Pardon for a winning buzzer-beater layup that triggered a frenzied court-storming celebration at Welsh-Ryan Arena and secured the Wildcats’ first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
It was a shot that was heard around the college basketball world on March 1, 2017, and a heart-wrenching defeat that left Michigan devastated.
As No. 20 Michigan attempts to sweep the season series against Northwestern on Tuesday in their second encounter in eight days, the Wolverines will return to the scene of the crime for the first time — sort of.