That Moment When The Most Hated Player In College Basketball Knew His NCAA Career Was Over

Aaron Craft inspires emotion, so much emotion. Yet, the polarizing Ohio State point guard seemed almost serene as his college career ended in disappointment. In the first game of the first full day of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, No. 6 Ohio State was edged by No. 11 Dayton in a matchup of intra-state foes that came down to the final seconds.

The 23-year-old senior from Findlay, Ohio had the ball in his hands and a chance to lift the Buckeyes to another dramatic win in the NCAA Tournament as the clock ticked toward zero on Thursday afternoon at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo. With his team trailing 61-59 and just seconds remaining, Craft drove the length of the floor and into a crowd of defenders. The final shot of Craft's standout career, one that earned him legions of haters and admirers, bounced off the glass and then the rim but did not drop through the net. As his running shot went astray, the three-time first team Academic All-American went to the floor. With Craft laying, hands behind his head, on the hardwood and Dayton players celebrating around him, Getty photographer Jared Wickerham had a camera in exactly the right spot.