2008 NCAA Men's Basketball First and Second Rounds
In 2008 Tampa Bay hosted the first and second rounds of the Western Conference NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament
Drake vs Western Kentucky
It was the shot of his life, the shot of the tournament and maybe even one for the ages.
"It kind of worked out good," Ty Rogers said, in the understatement of the day.
Rogers hit a desperation 26-foot 3-pointer with three defenders in his face and no time on the clock as 12th-seeded Western Kentucky turned in the upset of the NCAA tournament, beating Drake 101-99 in overtime in the first round of the West Regional.
The fifth-seeded Bulldogs (28-5) overcame a 16-point deficit in the final eight minutes of regulation and led 99-98 after Jonathan Cox's two free throws with 5.7 seconds to play. But Tyrone Brazelton raced across midcourt and kicked it to Rogers, whose 3 from the wing gave the Hilltoppers (28-6) their first tournament victory since 1995.
Conneticut vs San Diego
San Diego's Rob Jones didn't even bother leaving his feet when the ball was tossed up to start the game.
The 6-foot-6 forward knew he didn't have a chance against Connecticut's 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet.
When the same thing happened to begin overtime, Jones jumped so high he nearly got the tip -- a clear indication of how confident the Toreros had become. They were even more fearless in the final seconds.
De'Jon Jackson hit the biggest shot in school history -- a long jumper with 1.2 seconds left in overtime -- and 13th-seeded San Diego beat No. 4 seed Connecticut 70-69 in the first round of the NCAA's West Regional.
Western Kentucky vs San Diego
Western Kentucky blew another big lead, then responded with another clutch performance.
Behind Courtney Lee's dazzling array of shots early and his free throws down the stretch, the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in 15 years with a 72-63 victory over No. 13 San Diego on Sunday.