Jackie Carmichael was assessed a flagrant foul for this kick (screen shot via ESPN3.com)

Illinois State's stunning last-minute collapse Sunday night started with Jackie Carmichael kicking Wichita State's Tekele Cotton in the chest.

It finished with Carmichael kicking himself.

When Wichita State guard Malcolm Armstead's 3-pointer rimmed out with 49 seconds to go and Illinois State leading by five, Carmichael leaped high for the rebound but karate kicked Cotton in the chest on his way down. The flagrant foul assessed to Carmichael sparked an 8-0 Shockers run over the game's final 41.2 seconds to turn a seven-point deficit into a stunning 68-67 victory.

Referees didn't initially call a foul on Carmichael but they reviewed the play after Wichita State's Demetric Williams fouled Illinois State's Johnny Hill. Though Hill sank his two foul shots, the Shockers received two free throws and the ball, to the outrage of the Illinois State crowd.

Whether or not Carmichael's kick was intentional was a subject of debate after the game.

Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall told Pantagraph.com, "I don’t know his intent. He’s coming out of the air, and Cotton is there and the foot goes to the face area."

Countered Illinois State coach Dan Muller, "They said he kicked him above the neck and he intentionally did it. How Jackie was getting a rebound and intentionally was kicking a moving target, I haven’t seen it, but that was the explanation to me.”

In the midst of a college basketball season so wide-open that a loss from a top-five team elicits merely a shrug of the shoulders, Sunday night appeared to be third-ranked Miami's turn to stumble.

Ice-cold from the perimeter and flummoxed by Clemson's swarming ball-screen defense, the Hurricanes could not get their high-powered offense going. They shot barely above 30 percent for the game, they committed more than twice as many turnovers as the Tigers and they trailed almost the entire second half.

That Miami managed to escape with a 45-43 victory to remain unbeaten in ACC play still seems hard to believe considering the amount of good fortune it required. Even after Kenny Kadji gave the Hurricanes the lead with a 3-pointer with 39 seconds to play, Miami was only able to make it stand up thanks to two unlikely defensive stands, the first aided by a blown call and the second by Clemson's incompetence around the rim.

With Clemson trailing by a point and 13 seconds remaining, Milton Jennings beat his man off the dribble and plowed into Miami's Trey McKinney-Jones as he attempted a go-ahead layup. Referees called Jennings for charging even though McKinney-Jones arrived late to help and was clearly still sliding his feet when the collision occurred.

[Also: Egregious blunder by WSU hands Oregon key win]

A McKinney-Jones free throw extended Miami's lead to two, but Clemson had one final possession to either go for the win or attempt to force overtime.

First to try was Clemson guard Rod Hall, who attacked the rim off the dribble and had a clean look at a layup that somehow rolled off the rim and out. Forward K.J. McDaniels was there to snap up the offensive rebound, but his put-back from point blank range also missed as the buzzer sounded, ending the Tigers' upset bid in heartbreaking fashion.

Marshall Henderson (USA Today Sports Images)

He may not be too efficient shooting the ball during games, but Marshall Henderson definitely is economical behind the microphone afterward.

The polarizing Ole Miss star needed just 10 words to deliver one of the season's most memorable press conferences after the Rebels' overtime victory against visiting Georgia on Saturday night.

Said Henderson, "If it’s all the same, it’s Saturday night. I’m out."

Whereas I normally disapprove when star athletes shirk their responsibility to speak to the media because the burden of answering tough questions falls to their teammates, Henderson can't be faulted for a lack of accountability after a win, not a loss. Plus, you can't help but chuckle at a college kid unwilling to let anything stand in the way of enjoying his Saturday night.

[More NCAA hoops: KU frosh Ben McLemore hits in-game 360 jam vs. Texas]

Perhaps Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy would prefer if Henderson would curb his hard-partying ways -- or at least not be so brazen about them -- but the junior guard can't be faulted for his play Saturday night. He scored 25 points, missing all but one of his seven 3-point attempts but sinking all 14 free throws he shot.

Oddly enough, the biggest plays Henderson made Saturday involved taking punishment.

BOULDER, Colo. – Arizona State seemed to have played its way out of the NCAA tournament over the past two weeks entering a tough road game at Colorado. Now it might be back in following a 63-62 win on a buzzer beater layup by guard Evan Gordon.

The Buffs had only lost five home games since the start of the 2010-11 season and the Sun Devils desperately needed a win after losing three of their previous four, including a game at Utah earlier in the week.

“My heart is racing,” ASU coach Herb Sendek said after a high-altitude celebration with his team in the visiting locker room at the Coors Events Center. “It's huge. I'm really proud of our guys. They played with a lot of poise and composure and a lot of heart. Colorado is an excellent team and obviously they are very special at home here. I couldn't be prouder of our guys.”

The small percentage of fans still watching ESPN's primetime matchup between Kansas and Texas late in the second half received a reward for their perseverance Saturday night. With his team already leading by 32 points and just over four minutes remaining, Kansas freshman Ben McLemore sprinted out in transition and finished a fast break in style. McLemore delivered a 360 transition slam, two of his 13 points and by far the most memorable highlight of an otherwise forgettable 73-47 Jayhawks victory. Kansas limited the anemic Longhorns to 21.8 percent from the field and 2 of 21 from behind the arc. It looks like the Jayhawks have rediscovered their confidence and identity after that three-game skid earlier this month.

All Washington State needed was a defensive stop to force double overtime Saturday night against Pac-12-leading Oregon.

The only problem was one of the Cougars didn't know the score.

As Oregon's E.J. Singler dribbled up court after Royce Woolridge sank a 3-pointer to tie the score with nine seconds left in overtime, Washington State guard Dexter Kernich-Drew inexplicably reached out and fouled him at mid-court. The ill-timed semi-intentional foul enabled Singler to drain a pair of free throws with four seconds to go to propel the Ducks to a 79-77 victory.

Singler admitted to reporters that he was "shocked" by Kernich-Drew's decision to foul, but the 6-foot-6 sophomore's teammates and coaches were quick to come to his defense.

"It was just a mistake," Washington State forward Brock Motum told the Associated Press. "It’s in the past now. He needs to keep his head up."

Added coach Ken Bone, "If not for him we wouldn’t have been in the game."

[Also: Illinois chose unfortunate photo to sell tickets for Penn State game]

It's admirable of Motum and Bone not to blame Kernich-Drew, especially considering the mounting pressure on the fourth-year Washington State coach. With the Cougars (11-15, 2-11) on their way to a losing season after having failed to reach the NCAA tournament any of Bone's first three seasons, a vocal segment of Washington State students and alumni are pushing the school to make a coaching change.

Maryland celebrates a potential season-saving win over Duke (USA Today Sports Images)

If Saturday night turns out to be Duke's final visit to Maryland, then the lasting image for the Blue Devils will be a court-storming at their expense.

A Maryland team desperate for a noteworthy win to revive its fading NCAA tournament hopes eked out an 83-81 victory despite coughing up a 10-point lead in the final four minutes.

After Duke freshman Rasheed Sulaimon's three free throws tied the game at 81 with 17 seconds to go in regulation, Maryland freshman Seth Allen responded by driving to the rim and drawing a foul on Quinn Cook with 2.8 seconds remaining. A grinning Allen sank both foul shots, a pained Cook narrowly missed a running 30 footer at the buzzer and hundreds of Maryland fans flooded the floor in celebration of the Terps' biggest win of the season.

Had Maryland (18-7, 6-6) lost Saturday night, it would have basically removed the Terps from at-large consideration. Their lone quality win prior to Saturday was NC State, their RPI was hovering around 70 and their only remaining game against a RPI Top 50 squad was against North Carolina on March 6.

Still only .500 in league play with no non-conference wins of significance, Maryland is far from an NCAA tournament shoo-in even now. Nonetheless, the Terps now have a glimmer of hope if they can beat the teams they're supposed to prior to the final two games of the ACC season against the Tar Heels and fellow bubble team Virginia.

(AP)

Air Force senior Michael Lyons did everything he could and then some on his home court to beat Colorado State on Saturday, but the Rams had too many options to counter the Falcons' one-man show in their 89-86 victory.

Lyons scored a career best 45 points, including six of the Falcons' 13 3-pointers, but CSU is in the midst of a magical season under first-year coach Larry Eustachy and part of that magic has been finding ways to win in the rugged Mountain West Conference. The 24th-ranked Rams earned a spot in the national polls this week for the first time since 1954 and refused to join the long list of teams who have been one-week-and-done in the rankings after similar absences over the years.