The Nevada Wolf Pack appeared destined to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. But unfortunately, they fell victim to a huge comeback that saw their National Championship hopes come to an end, which led to a ton of criticism from many around the college basketball world.
Nevada looked great throughout much of the game. Late into the second half, it had appeared that they would be able to cruise on past Dayton to a potential matchup against Arizona, holding a 17-point lead with seven points remaining in the game.
But in the words of the great Lee Corso, not so fast my friend! Nevada would go on to take their foot off the gas, allowing Dayton to go on a 24-4 run for the rest of the game, ultimately coming away with a 63-60 victory.
DAYTON FINISHES OFF AN INSANE LATE COMEBACK TO TAKE DOWN NEVADA! 🏀🔥 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/8mC4OA7Eez
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 21, 2024
Scoring four points in the final seven minutes of any basketball game is pretty much never gonna bring you a victory. And naturally, the Wolf Pack received a ton of criticism for their performance down the stretch of this game.
Nevada with a top 5 NCAA Tournament choke job of all time. My goodness.
— Greg Peterson (@GUnit_81) March 21, 2024
This Nevada sell job needs to be studied.
— Trent Attyah (@BookitWithTrent) March 21, 2024
If any of you backed Nevada… I feel for you right now. They blew a 17 point lead in the second half. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/LkdWjV5VR0
— Cody Brown Bets (@CodyBrownBets) March 21, 2024
THESE GUYS FROM NEVADA WITH THE BIGGEST CHOKE JOB. pic.twitter.com/KfFkBHmm0e
— Salim Mussa (@salim_mussa) March 21, 2024
Nevada was as high as -20000 ML live in the 2nd half
Dayton outscored them 24-4 to end the game and knock off the Wolfpack pic.twitter.com/Y2HVNGpU5n
— Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) March 21, 2024
The loss for Nevada is the second-largest blown lead in NCAA Tournament history. And ironically, Nevada’s program was also a part of the largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history, coming back from a 22-point deficit against Cincinnati in 2018.
It’s hard to find much of a silver lining here if you are Nevada. Credit to Dayton for pulling off the victory from the jaws of defeat. But truthfully, this was much more of Nevada blowing this game than Dayton actually winning it.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.