Purdue left Green with envy in upset

The seconds were bleeding away Friday in the second-most stunning upset of the NCAA Tournament’s opening round, and North Texas guard Javion Hamlet found himself screaming at the cheering section for No. 4 seed Purdue.

“Don’t ever doubt me,’’ Hamlet yelled. “That’s what I told the Purdue fans: ‘Don’t ever doubt Javion

Hamlet.’ ’’

After what

Hamlet, scoring 24 points, and 13th-seeded North Texas did in their shocking 78-69 overtime win over Purdue at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, no one should doubt them.

Certainly not their second-round opponent, the winner of Friday’s late game between Villanova and Winthrop.

The victory was the Mean Green’s first-ever NCAA Tournament triumph after losing their first three and their first time in the Big Dance in 11 years.

Purdue was the only team from Indiana that made the NCAAs, which is playing every game in the Indianapolis area in a bubble. Now Indiana has no teams remaining.

The Boilermakers (18-10) rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final six minutes to tie the score twice, and North Texas missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer. The Mean Green (18-9) then scored the first 11 points in overtime and never looked back.

Hamlet, whose father was in attendance wearing a shirt with an image of Javion on its front while taking photos and videos with his iPad, was the star of theshow.

“Our composure was tremendous, especially when [Purdue] made a run,’’ North Texas coach Grant McCasland said. “But we did fight back. There’s a tremendous amount of heart in that locker room, starting with Javion Hamlet.’’