Rob Phinisee's buzzer-beater against Butler just made him an Indiana legend
Indiana University guard Rob Phinisee might have his own shrine by the time the No. 25 Hoosiers return to Bloomington from Indianapolis on Saturday night.
In a game tied at 68 with 18 seconds remaining against in-state rival Butler, the freshman from Lafayette saved a stalled IU possession with a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer. The result was a pandemonium-inducing, dead-eye shot that ignited Bankers Life Fieldhouse into a frenzy and sent the Hoosiers bench spilling out onto the court to tackle their teammate.
ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 😱pic.twitter.com/he8ItneUkF
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) December 15, 2018
Rarely do college teams in Indiana play each other without producing a thrilling game, but to see an in-state recruit make this shot in an NBA arena is the type of college basketball moment that gives you goosebumps. Adding to that is the dramatic call of “Phinisee at the buzzer…HE GOT IT!” which will likely be echoing all throughout Indiana tonight.
To make things even better: This is the same court where Phinisee lost the state championship as a sophomore in high school. His game-winner on Saturday might not feel as good as holding up a trophy, but it’s not far off.
Indiana’s heart-stopping December
IU fans are becoming uncomfortably familiar with close games this season. The 71-68 victory over Butler is the Hoosier’s fourth consecutive win by one possession. And Indiana’s margin of victory since November is just eight points total with triumphs over Northwestern, Penn State and Louisville. That close-game streak should end when IU faces Central Arkansas (4-5) and Jacksonville (6-5) next week, but in the meantime, it doesn’t seem to bother coach Archie Miller too much.
Archie: "When we get to the last eight (minutes), last four, guys have some confidence that we’ll be OK." #iubb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) December 15, 2018
His players certainly don’t seem to be lacking confidence in late-game situations, either.
Asked by CBS after his game-winner if that was the biggest shot in his career, Phinisee could only smile and say “So far.”
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Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee
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