It's down to the last 19 seconds. The place is fever pitch. Texas vs UCLA, #8 vs #2, and its only the two of them on the floor, only the two of them can settle this. The score is tied. The clock is ticking. Augustin. Collison. Augustin with the ball, dribbling, dribbling, eyeing the basket but Collison is right there with him, hungry as a wolf, the two of them playing that one-on-one, struttin' schoolyard game down the court - Augustin dribbling forward, bulling his way inch by inch, feet by feet - Collison so reluctantly yielding, stepping backwards, hands out and eyes straight on him, ready for anything. The shot-clock is counting down. 17, 16, 15 . . there's no one else on their teams. They're it. The two star point guards. Desperation rising from both sides. The UCLA students are going wild - jumping, screaming, pleading. Please, Collison - please, whatever you do, whatever you have left, you've got to stop that kid. And Augustin is dribbling, dribbling, his body so low to the ground that he seems intent on burrowing a hole through the floorpane in order to escape this bulldog. But he can't. He dribbles one too many and the ball seems to get away from him. He's falling onto the floor! There's no time left! No one to help him! It's gonna be a turnover! A steal! Then - then! - a shot goes up - a wild hope - and out of nowhere, a blur just SLAMS that ball into the net! Damion JAMES!!! Texas wins!
OHHHHHH!!!!! There's NO TIME LEFT!!!!!! 8 seconds! 7! 6! Collison trots down the lane, but he's hurrying, hurrying, he can't get there fast enough, he tries to bull through but finds an iron wall of orange shirts. He must kick it out. Mbah a Moute, shedding a defender on the arc, puts up a 3 pointer. But it's no good. Even while it's in the air, we all know it's no good. And as the buzzer sounds - the ball careens past the hoop, glazes slightly on the left outer rim, and sails safely away. End game. Texas WON!!!!! IN Pauley Pavilion! My God!!!! 63-61. They've killed off Tennessee, then-#4. Now they've killed off UCLA, #2.
What a shot. What a shot at the end. Augustin hitting the floor, knowing there was no hope in hell for him, just wildly tossing up that ball that might somehow make it to the rim - and then BAM! James comes in and just slams that sucker back where it belongs. To Texas. #1 in the land. Making a case for themselves, loud and clear. What a night. Right in front of Denzel Washington too! Hey Denzel! What drama, huh? Can anything else even come close to the high-stakes that is college hoops? TEX-XAAAAAAAAAS! Can you even imagine what they would be with Durant back?
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