An honest mistake kept Kent State from punching its ticket to the NCAA tournament in heartbreaking fashion

Kent State nearly made the 2024 men’s NCAA tournament as a shocking underdog as the unexpected MAC title winners, but the team lost out on that chance in the most heartbreaking fashion.

With just a few seconds to go in Saturday’s MAC championship game, Kent State got a single-point lead over Akron with hopes high of closing out the game with a huge victory.

However, Kent State’s Julius Rollins mistakenly fouled Akron’s Greg Tribble after the latter’s team got the ball back and sent Tribble to the free-throw line.

Tribble hit the two baskets and sent Akron to the tournament with the last-second title win. For Kent State, it was absolutely devastating way to lose the game.

Kent State took a 1-point lead over Akron with 6.2 seconds left… and Julius Rollins proceeded to foul on purpose well before half-court as though Akron had the lead.

Akron's Greg Tribble made two free throws to win the MAC Championship.

Kent State HC Rob Rob Senderoff: pic.twitter.com/ItUzrmVPtm

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 17, 2024

Kent State coach Rob Senderoff’s reaction to the foul was just as tough to watch as Rollins realizing his honest-yet-costly mistake in the moment.

While you never want to point to one moment in a game as the sole reason your team lost, Kent State will probably be winding this game back and finding the moments that kept it from stunning the league with an unexpected tournament berth.