INDIANAPOLIS – In the closing seconds of the first win of the NCAA tournament in North Texas, point guard Javion Hamlet shouted at Purdue’s crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“Never doubt me! Never doubt me,” recalled Hamlet later. “This is what I said to Purdue fans. This is what I am saying to the whole world. Never doubt Javion Hamlet.”
Hamlet, a Memphis veteran who didn’t receive a Division I scholarship offer after high school, scored 24 points in 43 minutes while North Texas’s No. 13 beat fourth-placed Purdue 78-69 in overtime to advance in the South Region. Mean Green will play Villanova or Winthrop on Sunday.
Four North Texas holders scored double digits like Mean Green, making their fourth appearance in the NCAA tournament and their first since 2010, never letting Purdue take the lead after the second minute of the game.
After Jaden Ivey (26 points) and Trevion Willliams (14 points, 13 rebounds) brought Purdue together to force extra time, North Texas beat the Boilers 17-8 in the extra session.
“If I said we didn’t plan to do that, I would be lying,” said coach Grant McCasland of his veteran team. “Those guys in that locker room came here for that reason. You never know what happens when you get there and fight. … But these guys believe we’re going to win. They really win. That’s the part you love about sports. Nobody here is better or different when it comes to the work you do and what you control. “
Hamlet scored double digits in his 11 games, averaging 18.9 points over the period.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity all my life, to show the world who Javion Hamlet is,” said Hamlet, the Player of the Year at the 2020 Conference USA. “When the lights get big, I love it.”
Northern Texas beat Western Kentucky in the US Conference championship overtime after wasting an 11-point lead at halftime to reach the NCAAs.
“It feels great to be the first team in history,” said Hamlet. “No one can take that away from us. … And just show the world that we are brave. Many under-recruited guys, no [five-star recruits]. Let this be known: we don’t have five stars.
“I don’t understand why people are so surprised. I feel that we can play with anyone in the country because of the way we defend and how brave we are. We are the underdogs.”