ST. LOUIS, MO – MARCH 6: Wes Washpun #11 of the Northern Iowa Panthers shoots the game-winning basket over D.J. Balentine #31 of the Evansville Aces at the buzzer during the MVC Basketball Tournament final game at the Scottrade Center on March 6, 2016 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
NCAABy Alex Putterman on

It took until March 6, but the madness has officially arrived.

Sunday afternoon, college basketball fans saw just about the coolest thing that can happen in March: a buzzer-beater in a win-or-go-home game.

Northern Iowa and Evansville were tied at 54 with only seconds to play in the Missouri Valley Conference title game and an NCAA Tournament bid on the line, when Panthers leading scorer Wes Washpun did this:

It doesn’t get much better than a high bounce off the rim that falls through just as the buzzer sounds.

And so Northern Iowa heads to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, after being bounced in the Round of 32 last year. Of course, the Panthers’ most famous moment came in 2010, when Ali Farokhmanesh and company upset top-seeded Kansas to reach the Sweet 16.

Evansville, meanwhile, has not reached the big dance since 1999, despite several close calls in recent years.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.

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