YouTube Gold: The Farokhmanesh Express

Mar 23, 2023 - 10:00 AM

March Madness has had many, many buzzer beaters and clutch shots over the years. We all have our own lists with people like James Forrest, Jalen Suggs, Kris Jenkins and perhaps most of all Christian Laettner’s dramatic shot to RIP THE BEATING HEART OUT of Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional Finals.

This was not a buzzer beater, but it’s iconic nonetheless: in 2010, Northern Iowa led mighty Kansas 63-60 with 53.8 left. Kansas hit a shot to cut the lead back to one with :42.8 left. Northern Iowa got the ball in bounds and after narrowly avoiding a steal, moved the ball up court where Ali Farokhmanesh found himself miraculously open with 37.7 left. He was so open that he stopped for a moment to line the shot up - then nailed it.

There was still time left but the game was over. It’s one of the great moments in tournament history and we’re sure that the good folks of Cedar Falls talk about it still, as they should.