March Madness 2026: Boston U dashes Navy’s tourney hopes with buzzer-beater after game clock failed to start
Navy basketball was in the midst of its best season in decades and on track for its first men’s NCAA tournament berth since 1998.
Now those hopes are dashed thanks to a heartbreaking 73-72 loss to No. 4 seed Boston University in the Patriot League semifinals. It didn’t come without controversy.
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Sunday’s game was tied at 70 with 8.4 seconds remaining. No. 1 seed Navy had the ball under its own basket with a chance to take the lead. Austin Benigni took the inbounds pass and ran the length of the court for a go-ahead layup in traffic with 4.1 seconds remaining.
Navy’s lead was short-lived.
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Boston’s Chance Gladden took the ensuing inbounds pass, knifed through Navy’s transition defense and pulled up from 40 feet. His shot went through the net just before the final buzzer sounded for a 73-72 Boston lead.
Gladden’s teammates rushed the court to celebrate the dramatic buzzer-beater that appeared to have secured an upset win.
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Game clock error, added drama
But the game wasn’t quite over. Game officials had work to do. It turns out the game-clock operator didn’t start the clock in time prior to Gladden’s shot. Gladden was just short of halfcourt when the game clock actually started again, giving him an extra cushion to get his shot up in time.
Officials recognized the error and went to replay to sort things out, setting up some tension-filled moments with the game’s outcome in the balance. Officials ultimately determined that Gladden got the shot off in time, and that there was 0.6 seconds of game clock remaining after the ball went through the net. They reached the conclusion as best as they could while eyeballing the replay on a sideline monitor.
“After further review, we have to put time on the clock,” referee Sean Hull announced to the crowd. “It did not start appropriately.”
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The decision left Navy with 0.6 seconds remaining, not nearly enough time to pull off a miracle from under its own basket. A desperation last-second heave missed the mark, and Boston secured the win to advance to the Patriot League final, from which the winner will emerge with an NCAA tournament berth.
Heartbreak on heels of best Navy season in decades
With the loss, Navy fell to 26-7 and almost certainly out of the NCAA tournament. The Patriot League doesn’t project to produce any at-large bids to the NCAA field.
It adds up to heartbreak for a Navy team that finished 17-1 in conference play in the regular season and posted its highest win total since going 26-6 in the 1986-87 season, long before anybody on the Navy roster was born.
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The Midshipmen were also seeking their first NCAA tournament berth since 1998 — also several years before anybody on Navy’s team was born.
Boston advances to face Lehigh in Wednesday’s Patriot League championship game, and the winner will advance to the NCAA tournament. Navy will likely have to hope for an invitation to the NIT.
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