Northwestern Basketball

The NCAA released a statement Saturday night confirming officials should have called Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Zach Collins for basket interference and goaltending when he extended his arm through the rim to block a shot by Northwestern Wildcats center Dererk Pardon.

The pivotal play came with 4:57 remaining in regulation and the Wildcats trailing by five after they went on a 23-8 run to put a significant dent in an 18-point halftime deficit:

"Article 2.a.3 states that basket interference occurs when a player reaches through the basket from below and touches the ball before it enters the cylinder," the NCAA said in the statement, per Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn. "Replays showed the Gonzaga defender violated this rule, which should have resulted in a scored basket by Northwestern."

Wildcats head coach Chris Collins—who was whistled for a technical foul after he argued the non-call—did not sound thrilled with the retroactive assessment by the NCAA.

"Thank you for the statement, appreciate it," he said, per Athlon Sports' Bryan Fischer. "Should have been a three-point game."

Instead, Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss drilled two free throws to punctuate a four-point swing and put his side up seven.

The Bulldogs proceeded to tread water for the remainder of regulation and pulled out a nervy 79-73 win that ended Northwestern's first-ever NCAA tournament appearance after two games.

With a victory in tow, the West Region's No. 1 seed will turn its attention to a Sweet 16 date with the fourth-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers—who defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 83-71, Saturday afternoon.

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March Madness has its highs and lows, and this Northwestern fan experienced a major low Saturday. 

During No. 1 seed Gonzaga's 79-73 win over the eighth-seeded Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA tournament, this young enthusiast was shown on camera as his emotions got the better of him.

The CBS broadcast panned back to him several times during the Wildcats' comeback attempt. Above, he appeared inconsolable after Northwestern coach Chris Collins picked up a technical foul with 4:54 to play.

Happens to the best of us, kid. 

Northwestern felt the exhilaration of a commanding lead in the NCAA tournament. Coaches, players and fans alike endured the jaw-clenching moments while the opponent fought back. They experienced the mental strain of a back-and-forth final minute.

Fittingly enough, the Wildcats enjoyed some luck, too.

It took 78 years for the program to reach March Madness, but Northwestern finally experienced the thorough emotional drain that only the biggest stage can provide.

And thanks to a 68-66 first-round victory over ninth-seeded Vanderbilt on Thursday, everyone involved with the program—both directly and indirectly, from coaches and an NBA dad to players and a celebrity mom—has a new appreciation for "survive and advance."

Regardless of what happens next, 2017 will always be the year the Wildcats officially made their mark on college basketball.

NCAA March Madness provided highlights of the closing action:

It was never going to be easy, because why would it be?

Chris Collins' team held a 15-point lead with 13:40 remaining in the second half, but Vanderbilt ripped off a 12-0 run before the clock ticked below the 11-minute mark. Eighth-seeded Northwestern managed to retain its lead until the closing minutes.

Riley LaChance buried a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:36 to play, leaving Northwestern in a state of disbelief. Then Bryant McIntosh responded with a jumper to give the Wildcats a 63-62 edge and an unmatched level of elation.

All aboard the roller coaster.

Vanderbilt snatched the lead, gave it up and took it back during the next 57 seconds, setting up a bizarre finish. Vandy's Matthew Fisher-Davis inexplicably committed an intentional foul that put McIntosh—an 86.1 percent free-throw shooter—at the line for two. He hit both for a one-point lead.

The Ringer's Rodger Sherman put the moment into perspective:

LaChance, despite attacking the rim and scoring on the previous possession, settled for a deep three-point attempt six feet beyond the arc and misfired. A foul, one made free throw and an errant desperation heave later, Northwestern celebrated the victory.

It's often painless to pull for the underdog or a unique story. Northwestern fit both categories heading into Thursday's clash, since Vanderbilt was a two-point favorite, per OddsShark.

Save for the annoyance Northwestern alums provided on social media—every feel-good story needs an antagonist, however harmless—the Wildcats are a great story.

After all, it's not like Northwestern has regularly sniffed success on the basketball court. In the last 48 years, the program has weathered 37 losing campaigns. Plus, the recent trip to the Big Ten semifinals was its longest conference tournament run ever.

No wonder the alums discarded any attempt to remain objective—which is OK; it's just sports. You could sense the emotion from Doug Collins, who poured his heart into his son Chris' finest moment, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, cheering on her son Charlie Hall's team:

Still, that shouldn't overshadow what the Northwestern players accomplished.

According to Sports Reference, 2016-17 marked only the fifth season the Wildcats earned an Associated Press poll ranking. They've also set a school record with 24 wins.

Next up is top-seeded Gonzaga, a 33-1 team with its own unique set of historical woes to overcome. So will the Wildcats feel the unbridled joy of a major upset? Or will Mark Few's squad administer the first dose of NCAA disappointment?

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For everyone on the roster, the result matters greatly. Championships are the ultimate goal, and this team is still alive.

However, a loss won't change how supporters remember this season. It won't change how the Wildcats have cemented 2016-17 as the year "[TEAM] won the national title—and Northwestern made some long-awaited progress!"

This is already a feel-good story. Any more success that happens from here is a bonus chapter.

All statistics courtesy of KenPom or Sports Reference, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information via Scout, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

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NBA analyst Doug Collins and actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus were among the Northwestern fans in attendance to see the Wildcats earn the school's first-ever NCAA tournament win, a 68-66 victory over Vanderbilt, on Thursday.

Collins appeared to have tears in his eyes while watching his son, Northwestern head coach Chris Collins, during the closing seconds of the contest. Louis-Dreyfus, meanwhile, was there to cheer on her son, forward Charlie Hall.

No. 8 Northwestern will play No. 1 Gonzaga on Saturday.

The Northwestern Wildcats tried to pack a program's worth of March Madness nerves into one game.

Northwestern made the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history this season, and it beat Vanderbilt 68-66 in a thrilling contest that came down to the final seconds. Bryant McIntosh drilled two free throws to take the lead after Vanderbilt's Matthew Fisher-Davis committed an inexcusable foul in the backcourt with his team leading by one.

Riley LaChance then missed a three for Vanderbilt, and the Wildcats clinched their first NCAA tournament win after Vanderbilt's desperation heave didn't fall.

LaChance made a layup to give the Commodores the lead with less than 20 seconds left, but Fisher-Davis didn't realize the game situation, as he fouled McIntosh even though Northwestern was in the bonus.

The 86.1 percent free-throw shooter calmly drilled the freebies to end a sequence that lived up to the March Madness moniker:

Joseph Goodman of AL.com tweeted, "That Vandy kid is going to be voted into the Northwestern Sports Hall of Fame."

Northwestern head coach Chris Collins will go down in school history as the first to lead the Wildcats to an NCAA tournament win. It is a reward for the gradual improvement he has demonstrated after going 14-19 in his first season with the team, 15-17 in his second, 20-12 in his third and now leading the team to the Big Dance.

He made his father and former NBA coach and player Doug Collins sweat Thursday:

Northwestern responded with a long-overdue celebration:

McIntosh did more than just hit the free throws. He finished with 25 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals behind 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting from downtown. Dererk Pardon and Scottie Lindsey each scored 14 points for the Wildcats as well.

Despite the mistake, Fisher-Davis helped Vanderbilt battle back from a double-digit deficit and finished with a team-high 22 points.

McIntosh commented on the victory, per NCAA March Madness: "A dream come true, what a special moment for our program, for our guys in the locker room that have worked so hard, and the toughness we displayed today is what we're all about in our program."

That toughness kept the Wildcats' undefeated NCAA tournament record intact (1-0), as SB Nation CBB pointed out, tongue fully in cheek:

They will put that undefeated record on the line against No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the second round Saturday. The Bulldogs lost just one game all season and beat Arizona, Florida and Saint Mary's.

Northwestern will need to play even better than it did Thursday to advance to the Sweet 16.

The anxiety. The fear of getting snubbed.

For Northwestern basketball fans, all those emotions gave way to feelings of joy and ecstasy Sunday, when the Wildcats made the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.

Even after a disastrous 76-48 loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament semifinals, Northwestern (23-11) will continue its dream season against Vanderbilt in the first round. The selection ended a 78-year stretch in which the Wildcats did not get invited to the Big Dance.

Even Northwestern alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whose son Charlie Hall plays for the Wildcats, joined in on the fun.

Dance as long as you can, Northwestern fans. Your wait is finally over.

The Northwestern Wildcats aren't done making their case for an at-large bid in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

Northwestern and the Michigan Wolverines were tied at 65 with under two seconds to play in their Wednesday contest at Welsh-Ryan Arena when Northwestern forward Nathan Taphorn delivered a pinpoint full-court pass to teammate Dererk Pardon.

Pardon caught the pass and then deposited a layup before time expired to win the game, 67-65, and cause jubilant Northwestern students to storm the court in celebration.

The Wildcats improved to 21-9 overall, while the Wolverines fell to 19-11.

[Twitter]

Northwestern women's basketball player Jordan Hankins died Monday, according to Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star. The 19-year-old was reportedly found dead in her room at the school.

On Tuesday, Matthew Choi of the Daily Northwestern reported the death was ruled a suicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's report.

"Jordan was a remarkably dynamic young woman," Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown said in a statement on the school's website. "This is a devastating loss for our basketball family. She brought an unwavering intensity and commitment to everything in her life. We will miss her enormously."

Hankins was in the middle of her sophomore year, appearing in 11 games off the bench while averaging 3.6 points per contest. She averaged 3.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 32 games as a freshman, including 14 points in a Big Ten tournament game against Minnesota.

The 5'8" guard was a native of Indianapolis and went to Lawrence North High School, where she led her team to the 4A Indiana state semifinals in 2014.

Northwestern was set to face Minnesota on Wednesday, but the game has been canceled. The teams will attempt to find a makeup date later in the season.

Now this is what some might call innovation.

The Northwestern Wildcats will debut custom emoji shooting shirts for Saturday's Big Ten matchup against the Penn State Nittany Lions. The shirts also feature each player's Twitter handle to go along with the social media-themed night.

According to ESPN's Darren Rovell, the shirts are the first of their kind.

[Darren Rovell]