Unfortunately for WashU, their magic ran out on Friday, March 8, when the Bears faced off against the No. 13 Trine University Thunder in the third round of the tournament. The Thunder dominated the whole way, ending the Bears season with an 86-65 loss.

After his game-winning shots, Oliff sat down with Student Life to discuss that high-pressure situation, his adjustment to college basketball, his experience as a Jewish college athlete, and his interests off the court.

The team’s tournament run ended abruptly in the first round, however, as they fell to the University of Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils 71-61 on Mar. 1.

Oliff stayed confident, like the Bears have all year in clutch situations, and sank both shots to give the Bears a 68-67 lead that they would not relinquish. After a failed full-court heave from Illinois College, the rambunctious WashU student section stormed the court as the Bears stamped their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Bears not only earned a spot in the tournament field, but obtained hosting privileges in the first and second rounds, one of just 16 teams to do so.

Following a dominant win against Brandeis, the Washington University women’s basketball team needed to close its season with a big win against University Athletic Association (UAA) foe University of Chicago to secure its at-large spot in the NCAA tournament. 

The script for the Washington University Men’s basketball team has been pretty much the same lately: overcome early struggles, make clutch shots, and leave with a win. That’s the pattern they’ve been following for much of the past season, and it’s one they followed once again in their regular-season finale against the University of Chicago. 

As they defended their home court down the stretch, the Bears pulled out a 72-61 win, a result that will likely go a long way towards locking up their at-large bid in the NCAA DIII tournament. The Bears extended their win streak to three on Feb. 18, topping Brandeis University 56-53 to bring their UAA record to 7-6.

Freshman Kyle Puckett used each men’s basketball team’s distance from Chipotle to build a bracket that was briefly fourth in the world.

This weekend, Wash. U. men’s basketball will get another chance at playoff success.