Jay Williams of ESPN on a loss to Indiana basketball, and his wife’s family’s reaction

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams has a special connection to Indiana basketball — and sometimes it flusters him.

Williams’ final college game came in a loss to the Hoosiers in the 2002 Sweet Sixteen. Williams said he was ready to live out “every kid’s dream” when he drew a foul on IU’s Dane Fife while scoring in the closing seconds. However, he missed the tying free throw in IU’s 74-73 victory.

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The game was played in Lexington, Kentucky, and even the UK fans were cheering for the Hoosiers.

“The only time I think I’ve ever heard Kentucky fans root for Indiana,” Williams told the Indiana Fever‘s Sophie Cunningham on the “Show Me Something” podcast. “It happens because they despise us so much.”

Then Williams offered the kicker.

“Now, I tell you this because I happen to marry a girl that went to IU,” he said. “And her brother and her dad also went to IU. And all I hear about is the missed free throw for the last 10 years of my life.

“Indiana fans are pretty crazy, man.”