Virginia falls after potential tie-breaking layup gets stuck on back rim

When Virginia’s London Perrantes knifed into the lane and attempted a tie-breaking layup late in Sunday night’s first overtime period, it seemed certain he was about to give his team the lead.

Somehow, someway, the ball had other ideas.

Perrantes’ potential game-winning layup bounced around every part of the basket before getting stuck atop the back rim. Referees then ruled the play a jump ball and awarded possession to Virginia Tech.

While the Hokies failed to score on their final possession in the game’s first overtime, they took advantage of their new life in the second extra session. Seth Allen scored a short pull-up jumper with just over three seconds left to give Virginia Tech an 80-78 double-overtime victory over the 12th-ranked Cavaliers.

Virginia Tech’s victory could go a long way toward propelling the Hokies to an NCAA tournament bid just two years after they finished last in the ACC for the fourth consecutive season. Buzz Williams’ team made an improbable eight-game leap in the league standings last season and appears poised to take another step forward this year.

At 17-7 overall and 6-6 in ACC play, Virginia Tech would probably make the NCAA tournament as a No. 8-10 seed if the season ended today. The Hokies now boast marquee wins over Duke and Virginia and solid victories against bubble teams Syracuse, Michigan and Georgia Tech.

As per usual in the ACC, Virginia Tech can’t afford to let up. Its remaining schedule includes road games against Pittsburgh, Louisville and Boston College and home games against Clemson, Miami and Wake Forest.

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This will be a painful loss for Virginia for more reasons than just Perrantes’ unlucky layup. The Cavaliers (18-6, 8-4) squandered a 14-point halftime lead and allowed the Hokies to force overtime on a late Ty Outlaw tip-in.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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