Bobby Durkin drills wild buzzer-beater to lift Minnesota past Cincinnati, remain undefeated

On Monday night, Bobby Durkin orchestrated a buzzer-beater to propel Minnesota past Cincinnati, securing a thrilling 63-61 victory. Down by a point with seconds remaining, Durkin responded with a perfect pass from Isaac Asuma, dribbled once, and sank a shot to ignite a jubilant celebration from the Minnesota bench. Cincinnati fans were left in stunned disbelief.

This field goal marked Durkin's second of the night, as he concluded with a solid five points on just 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. Durkin averaged 10.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game during his first season with the Gophers, following two seasons at Davidson.

"I didn't think I was playing my best tonight, so I was just happy I was able to pull through for the team," Durkin remarked post-game.

Kyan Evans led Minnesota with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Jaylen Crocker-Johnson added 11 points. For Cincinnati, Tylen Riley delivered 25 points and five rebounds, and Tyler Tejada contributed 10 points. These were the only two Bearcats to register double-digit performances.

Cincinnati concluded the regular season at 2-1, whereas Minnesota embarked on the season with a 15-18 record, marking their first under head coach Niko Medved. The Gophers have not appeared in the NCAA tournament since 2019 under Richard Pitino and have only managed one winning season since then. However, they now boast a perfect 3-0 start, thanks to Durkin's clutch performance.