I have been following basketball for about 50 years and I have never witnessed anything quite like what happened in Fairfax, VA on Tuesday night. As it turns, nobody has.

When George Mason’s Andre Cornelius hit a 3-pointer with 16:08 to play, the Patriots led Fairfield 63-36. After that it was all Fairfield. The Stags overcame a 27-point deficit to defeat George Mason, in overtime 101-96. The 27-point comeback is the biggest in division I postseason history.

That’s right. No team has ever done what Fairfield did on Tuesday evening.

“It’s incredible,” Fairfield head coach Ed Cooley told CollegeInsider.com after the game. “Our kids just kept fighting. They never gave up. When the game was over I knew they had done something special. I didn’t realize just how special.”

Fairfield’s Mike Evanovich came off the bench to score a career-high 32 points, including a school-record nine 3-pointers. The last came with .09 remaining, which sent the game into overtime where the Stags took control.

After managing just 36 points through the first 24 minutes, Fairfield scored 65 in the last 21 minutes.

What an amazing comeback.

ESPN’s Jason McCallum, with an assist from Jay Bilas, provided some interesting historical data. Not only was Fairfield’s 27-point comeback the best-ever in the month of March, it’s tied for the fifth largest comeback in the history of division I men’s basketball.
Large deficits have been overcome before. In 1977 New Mexico State trailed 28-0 against Bradley before rallying to win, but what makes Fairfield’s accomplishment so impressive was that they were down 27 with only 16 minutes remaining. And it was on the road. And it was in the postseason.

The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament is quickly gaining a reputation for extraordinary postseason moments. Last year Bradley’s Chris Roberts beat Oakland with a 75-foot buzzer beater, in the CIT quarterfinals. Roberts’ shot was the longest game-winning shot in division I postseason history.

A shot and a rally so what’s next?

My only regret is that I didn’t see the shot or the comeback in person.

Lost in all the numbers is the fact that the win was Fairfield’s first in the postseason since the 1973 NIT.

“It’s a huge win for our program,” said Cooley. “I am so proud of our players. They never quit and now we have another game to play next week.”

Largest Comebacks in March: Men's Division I History

		Deficit	Trailed	Opponent
2010	Fairfield	27	63-36	George Mason
2005	Missouri State	23	42-19	Southern Illinois
2001	Duke	22	39-17	Maryland

Largest Comebacks: Men's Division I History