Ohio TV Station Cuts Away From Game-Winning Elite Eight Shot

COLUMBUS, OH — College basketball fans in Columbus were experiencing the wrong kind of madness on Sunday during the Kentucky versus North Carolina Elite Eight game. WBNS, Channel 10 in Columbus, cut away during the second half of the game to air a tornado warning for nearby counties. That weather advisory meant hoops fans missed a thrilling ending that included North Carolina sophomore Luke Maye, a walk-on, hitting the game-winning bucket with 0.3 seconds left.

That game-winning shot came after Kentucky's freshman phenom Malik Monk hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to tie the game. It was a thrilling back-and-forth between two of the nation's powerhouse, blue chip programs.

According to Deadspin, during the tornado warning cut-in from WBNS news, viewers were apparently treated to six minutes of a wholly black screen with a voiceover from a newscaster discussing the impending tornado warning.

While March Madness fans in most of the nation were enjoying one of the best game's of the tournament, Columbus fans were forced to watch a blackened screen. The station defended its situation on Sunday, posting a statement on its website.

We had a massive technical failure in the final seconds of the NCAA basketball game between the University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina.

Once the situation was remedied we were under a tornado warning and lives were in danger. Upon the conclusion of the warning we aired the remaining minutes of the game.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

On Facebook and Twitter, viewers aired their grievances against the station. Many of the complaints suggested the station should have gone picture-in-picture or cut back to the game after it became clear the station's technical difficulties meant it could only air a black screen.

For those that missed the game, UNC's surprise star Maye tallied 17 points, including the game-winner, and cemented his status as a UNC legend. You can watch highlights of his performance below.

Photo from YouTube Screen Capture