Kevin Harlan loses his mind as confetti falls prematurely during Atlantic-10 title game
March Madness was March Madness-ing on Sunday during the Atlantic-10 championship game.
A little more than two minutes into the second half of the battle between Duquesne and Virginia Commonwealth, streams of red and blue confetti began raining down from the Barclays Center rafters.
Commentator Kevin Harlan summarized the shock of the moment on the CBS broadcast.
"Confetti falling right now! Confetti is falling on the floor," he said. "They're gonna have to stop playing. We can't see our notes. The players can't work on this court. Confetti is everywhere. Somebody hit the wrong button!"
The red and blue paper – Duquesne's team colors – mostly fell in the stands and Harlan's co-commentator Don Bonner started picking it up.
IT'S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY's NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.
"You're collecting it like you're going to bring it home to your grandkids or something," Harlan said. " … It's confetti."
"My grandkids would probably like this," Bonner responded, "but you're the one who's complaining you can't see anything, so we gotta clean the table off for ya."
Last month, Harlan, who started his career calling Kansas City Chiefs games, made headlines for his call of Mecole Hardman's Super Bowl-winning touchdown. He's also called multiple streakers and nearly fell out of his chair when calling Furman's upset victory over Virginia in last year's NCAA tournament.
"You do this long enough, you see about everything," Bonner said Sunday.
Duquesne claims first NCAA tournament bid since 1977
Duquesne ended up beating Virginia Commonwealth 57-51 to punch its first ticket to the NCAA tournament since 1977. There was plenty of red and blue confetti left for the official celebration.
The Dukes played a team game and their leading scorer was senior guard Dae Dae Grant, who had 10 points and four steals. Their lead was as large as 18 points, and they withstood their own scoring drought and a strong second half from the Rams, who came within one point with 1:36 left in the game.
Head coach Keith Dambrot, who coached LeBron James during his first two years at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, joined Duquesne in 2017. He previously built up the men's basketball program of the Akron Zips and credits his late father, Sid, who was a senior on Duquesne's nationally ranked 1953-54 team, for bringing him to the school.
"It wasn't pretty all the time, but we had enough resiliency and toughness to win the game," Dambrot said after the win. "My dad played here and that's probably why I took the job because I left my hometown in Akron to come here and so I'm happy. I'm happy, I'm sure he's in his grave spinning around right now."
The last time the Dukes went to the Big Dance was 47 years ago when they won the Atlantic-10 championship, beating Villanova 57-54 in what was then the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League. Duquesne was knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tournament after losing to the Virginia Military Institute 73-66. Two-time NBA champion Norm Nixon was on the team.
How to pronounce "Duquesne"
Duquesne is a private Catholic university located in Pittsburgh.
The school is pronounced "Doo-Kane."
— Contributing: Associated Press