With just five seconds left in Sunday’s Elite Eight game, and after having missed one free throw against Michigan State already, RJ Barrett needed to miss a second to give Duke a chance to win.
Down by two points, the Blue Devils needed an offensive rebound to have a shot at either tying the game or winning it with a three. Instead of putting up a clanker that resulted in a rebound, Barrett’s laser-beam shot at the rim bounced straight up, and then right into the middle of the basket.
Michigan State got the ball back, and then ran out the clock to win the game.
Just a brutal stroke of bad luck for Barrett, who did everything he could to miss but watched in horror as his shot went in.