But Saunders has never been one to play the hypotheticals—to dwell on the what-ifs. His game has always typified the sports cliché of ‘playing in the moment,’ as he continually talks of reading the defense, and choosing his offensive weapon—a pass or a shot—based on how his opponent tries to guard him.
The last-second jumper on Thursday was no exception. He recognized how the defense was set—Tokoto was sagging off, expecting the drive, while a second Tar Heel stood in the passing lane between Saunders and Corbin Miller, the teammate to whom he hoped to send the ball—and went all-in behind a high-arcing, crowd-hushing three-point attempt that seemed to hang in the air for a tick longer than normal.
“It felt kind of good,” Saunders said. “And it just went off the backboard…. [I]t was just demoralizing.”
After the game, Tokoto called Saunders among the “top five” players he’s guarded all year, placing the senior in the ranks of wings from Duke, Kentucky, and Virginia. Teammate and co-captain Steve Moundou-Missi called his performance “second to none” and “incredible,” while Amaker deemed it “exceptional” and “terrific.”
For a player who surpassed Lin in scoring against Yale, who eclipsed the 1500-point career mark in the Big Dance, and had his way against collegiate basketball royalty in North Carolina for 40 minutes on Thursday night, that just-long, just-wide three was not how he hoped his time in crimson would end.
But for all those around him—on the bench, in the stands, and on the court beside him—there wasn’t anywhere else they’d rather the ball be with the game on the line than in Saunders’s possession: in the hands of the player whose trademark fadeaways, spin moves, and ever-calm demeanor had led them to win after win, both under the bright lights of the NCAA Tournament and in front of an ever-packed crowd at Lavietes Pavilion.
“We wanted…for Wesley to make a decision,” Amaker said. “The way he's been playing, [the way] he played tonight—he was outstanding. I thought he was as good as anybody that played in our game here this evening. So if he was going to get a three, get a drive, get a two, we were going to live with his decision there.”
“[W]e came out and battled and we fought against a great team, and that's all you can really ask for,” Saunders added. “I wouldn't rather go out there and battle with any other group of guys…. Everybody is like family. We've been through good times, bad times, and, I mean, it's just been a blessing that I've been able to be a part of this.”
—Staff writer Juliet Spies-Gans can be reached at juliet.spies-gans@thecrimson.com.