WATCH: South Carolina State has March Madness dreams go up in flames after mind-numbing foul

South Carolina State’s Caleb McCarty just went from hero to heartbreaker in a matter of seconds.

South Carolina State had fought their way back in the MEAC Championship, desperately trying to punch their ticket to March Madness.

Down two with under 11 seconds left, McCarty made the play of the game—until he didn’t. After Norfolk State gifted SC State a turnover, McCarty converted an easy layup to tie the game at 65-65 with 10.6 seconds left.

To be clear, when there’s 10.6 seconds left on the clock and the game is knotted 65-65, that’s typically when a team would settle in defensively and try to force overtime to keep their March Madness dreams alive.

Instead, McCarty committed the cardinal sin of late-game basketball: he intentionally fouled Christian Ings, seemingly unaware that the game was tied.

Absolute nightmare.

South Carolina State Intentionally Fouls with 10.6 seconds left and the game tied

THE MADNESS WAS TOO MUCH TO HANDLE FOR SOUTH CAROLINA STATE

YOU CAN’T INTENTIONALLY FOUL THERE

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— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 15, 2025

Ings stepped to the line with 8.9 seconds left and made one of two free throws. SC State still had a chance, but their desperation heave at the buzzer clanked off the rim, sending Norfolk State to the Big Dance while SC State gets sent home in heartbreaking fashion.

McCarty’s final stat line: four points, two rebounds, one devastating mental lapse.

At what point do we put not knowing the score in a tie game on the same level as stepping out of bounds on an inbounds play? This keeps happening, and I truly don’t understand how.

We all remember Matthew Fisher-Davis’ infamous foul for Vanderbilt in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Matthew Fisher-Davis 2017 NCAA Tournament

Kent State pulled this same nonsense last year.

With a tournament bid on the line, Kent State commits an incredibly low IQ foul. @MarkTitusShow

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— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 17, 2024

And now, in March 2025, we’ve got another entry in the What Are You Doing? Hall of Fame.

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