On SportsCenter today (Jan. 26), fans saw video of a spoof gone wrong.  A former Kansas Jayhawks player (now a girls’ high school basketball coach) attempted a blindfolded halfcourt shot, thinking tickets to the NCAA Final Four were on the line .  The crowd was encouraged to enthusiastically cheer — regardless of the outcome — as there were no tickets in the offing.  After allowing the coach to think he’d made it, they were to let him in on the secret. One problem — he made the shot.  Instead of tickets, he received a gift certificate to a local Mexican restaurant (see video below).

ESPN college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb, a former player at Oklahoma State (with an ignominious career 45.3 percent free-throw percentage), then tried to duplicate the blindfolded effort on SportsCenter.  Before the attempt (at a basket in the large hallway next to the studio), Gottlieb joked, “I couldn’t make them with my eyes open in college.  How the heck am I going to make it with a blindfold on?”  Check out the video below for the result.  It’s probably worth noting: Gottlieb did average 8.2 assists for the Cowboys.

NFL analyst Darren Woodson and Patriots tackle Matt Light also unsuccessfully attempted the shot, which was later made by SportsCenter anchor Josh Elliott.