Kid from Kentucky has his one shining moment

Move over, Bryce Drew. Move over, Christian Laettner. Move over, Tyus Edney. Move over all of you members of the Magic Moment club. You have a new entry.

"That's why this is the greatest show on Earth," Horn said.

In a tournament mostly devoid of these types of games and situations, this type of drama, this one had it all.

It had a favorite in Drake fall down by 16 with just less than 12 minutes left that rallied to tie it in regulation and lead for most of overtime. The Bulldogs did it with a fierce press and some timely 3-point shooting.

They sure do shoot a lot of them. The Bulldogs took 42 shots behind the line, making 16. But in their rally they made some big ones, helping overcome a so-so game for point guard Adam Emmenecker, the Missouri Valley Player of the Year who went 0-for-10 from the field.

Not to be outdone, Western Kentucky wasn't about to go down without bombing its own 3s. They made 14 of 28, making the 30 3-point shots a record for an NCAA tournament game.

"They're a great 3-point shooting team, but nobody should overlook how well we shoot the 3-ball," Brazelton said. "We might be a little streaky, but we can definitely put it in the basket from the 3-point line."

Brazelton, a senior guard from Chicago via junior college, did it better than anybody. Rogers will get a ton of credit, and a ton of highlight-show time, but none of it would have been possible without Brazelton. He scored a game-high 33 points and dished out five assists, while doing a great job defending Emmenecker.

It was that battle of point guards that would be the difference in the game. Brazelton made six of 10 from behind the 3-point line.

"I thrive off that (playing a hyped point guard)," Brazelton said. "Point guards are measured by winning games."

Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Brazelton learned the game the city way -- tough, physical and relentless. Coming out of high school, he didn't have the grades, so he ended up at Missouri State-West Plains before coming to WKU.

When he tells his friends back in Chicago where he's playing, some of them give him the business. Bowling Green, Ky., isn't exactly Lexington. Western isn't the University of Kentucky. The Hilltoppers wear red; everybody knows that Kentucky, and its rich tradition, wears blue.

"A lot of people ask me if it's a D-2 school and I kind of get upset," Brazelton said. "After this game, I'm sure they'll know."

One of the great things about sports is how a team can bring together two kids from such different backgrounds, like with Brazelton and Rogers. One is an all city player, while the other is country, an aw-shucks way about him.

"We have a McDonalds now," Rogers said.

Now Eddyville also has a hero. The kid who dreamed it would one day be him making the big shot now has one of those magic moments to call his own.

With his parents in attendance here in Tampa, I asked him if he had the DVR set.

"I sure hope so," he said. "Somebody has to have it"

Don't worry, Ty. You'll be seeing that shot plenty. You, of all people, should know how we all eat up those shining moments.