'Hard to stomach': TBS announcer reflects on Virginia-Purdue buzzer beater mistake

On Saturday night. Virginia and Purdue delivered the best game of the NCAA tournament thus far.

The Boilermakers, on the back of an all-time performance from guard Carsen Edwards, were 5.9 seconds away from returning to the Final Four for the first time since 1980 — until the combination of Kihei Clark and Mamadi Diakite improbably forced overtime for Virginia.

You’ve likely seen the play by now. Virginia’s Ty Jerome left a free throw short, and Diakite was able to tap the ball back past midcourt. Clark quickly tracked the loose ball down and delivered a gorgeous one-handed pass to Diakite in the paint. The big man promptly drained a quick jumper to extend the game — a game Virginia won 80-75 in overtime — in dramatic fashion.

But if you had the TBS call of play-by-play man Brian Anderson turned up, you may have briefly thought Diakite’s buzzer beater won the game for the Cavaliers.

‘I can’t make that mistake’

Anderson has had some time to reflect on what went wrong, and was refreshingly forthcoming when reached by Richard Deitsch of The Athletic.

“The gaffe: In the context of my trade, it’s a non-negotiable. I can’t make that mistake. There is no excuse. I did not serve the viewers well on that play. It’s embarrassing. I deserve the criticism,” Anderson told Deitsch.

“The lesson: I have to stay in the moment. The end game, going off-air sequence is always a challenge in TV. Mentally, I left the moment to prepare for that sequence. Then, the unexpected happened on the floor and I whiffed.”

Anderson’s enthusiastic call undoubtedly fit the moment, and he was able to correct the record only a few seconds after Diakite’s shot fell by clarifying that the game was tied, not over. Anderson did not have time to dwell in the moment, either, with overtime to come.

Viewers never got the sense that the screw-up affected Anderson as the game continued on. Still, Anderson was left feeling like he let down the rest of the TBS crew, especially in such a big moment.

“That is a hard one to stomach. We put a lot of work and prep into these broadcasts,” he said.

Anderson described the process of “self-loathing” he endured after his mistake, including writing down “every emotion” he went through. He said it helps him “process” what took place and lays the foundation to “move on.”

“I’ve already watched the play. I’ve never made a mistake late game like that in my career. It’s uncomfortable but it’s helpful to watch. I treat my broadcasting like a golf swing. That was a snap hook last night so I need to correct so it never happens again,” Anderson told Deitsch.

Anderson has been part of Turner’s coverage of the NCAA tournament since 2012. Unfortunately for him, Saturday night’s game was his last college hoops broadcast of 2019, but he’ll be able to turn the page quickly by returning to his main gig: play-by-play work for the Milwaukee Brewers.

More from Yahoo Sports:

• Thamel: Why this Duke loss will haunt Coach K

• Players fight back against frustrating NCAA rule

• Pro golfers say Trump 'cheats at the highest level'

• NFL backtracks on plan to cut down trees for draft