Did Jalen Suggs’ game-winner look familiar?

Jalen Suggs’ game-winner in the Final Four probably looked familiar to Penn State Basketball fans

Jalen Suggs’ buzzer beating game winner in Saturday night’s NCAA Semifinal Final Four game sure looked familiar to another buzzer beating shot in Columbus, Ohio over three years ago.

We won’t blame Penn State Basketball fans if they had flashbacks to Tony Carr’s game-winner after Suggs’ heroics.

Let’s compare the situations:

Suggs — Gonzaga was up 5 points in overtime, but UCLA made a furious comeback to tie the game with 3.3 seconds left.   Although Gonzaga had a timeout, Coach Few allowed them to play it out.  Jalen Suggs got the rebound, took three dribbles to get across half court and pulled up for a running forty foot three point shot. ONIONS!

Carr — Penn State Basketball was up 9 at #13 Ohio State, but All-American Keita Bates-Diop went bananas in the final 90 seconds, and hit the game tying shot with 5.0 seconds left.  Although Penn State had a timeout left, Coach Chambers allowed them to play it out.  Tony Carr got the inbound, and you guessed it, three dribbles and pulled up also bench side and banked home the three. ONIONS!

Even the celebrations were similar … Suggs got mobbed after posing on the scorers’ table and Carr got mobbed after holding his pose from the spot he hit the shot.   Even the winning coaches reactions were the same, as both Mark Few and Pat Chambers didn’t celebrate or jump for joy.  They both immediately walked to congratulate the opposing coach (Cronin or UCLA and Matta for Ohio State) with a sheepish shrug as if it to say “yeah, I don’t know how that went in either.”

Penn State went on to beat Ohio State three times that year in a run to the Big Ten Semifinals and Gonzaga plays Baylor Monday night at 9:20 pm for the national championship.