Photographing Northern Iowa's March Madness: Ecstasy to Agony

I spent the past weekend in Oklahoma City covering the Northern Iowa basketball team in the NCAA tournament for the Gazette. And if you're reading this you're probably aware that the team's March Madness run is now over. But its two games against Texas and Texas A&M, produced more drama, elation, and heartbreak than exist in many entire seasons.

Photographing the ecstasy and agony of UNI's NCAA basketball tournament was the most incredible, unfathomable contrast I've seen in sports, let alone photographed. Arguably the two most dramatic moments in the first two rounds of this year's tournament were the endings to UNI's games. So here's my perspective from the baseline at both games.

NCAA Tournament first round: Northern Iowa 75. Texas 72.

I didn't see the shot go in through my lens. I saw Paul Jesperson slowly raise his arms as Jeremy Morgan and Wes Washpun reacted by completely losing it along with the rest of the Chesapeake Energy Arena crowd. It was unbelievable. Texas had just clawed its way level only for Jesperson to coolly dribble to half court and heave up what by all appearances was a desperation, never-gonna-make-it three at the buzzer.

I was focused solely on Paul Jesperson as he raised his hands in celebration and turned to the sizable contingent of Panthers fans in attendance as his teammates mobbed him. Isaiah Taylor fell into a crumpled heap a few feet in front of him and I made several photos of the moment before Jesperson was obscured by television cameras and the bouncing purple of the other UNI players.

Afterwords I recall telling myself that was obviously the peak drama for the weekend and that the second round game on Sunday, regardless of the result, would be a more typical game. And oh boy was I wrong about that.

NCAA Tournament second round: Northern Iowa 88. Texas A&M 92 (2-OT)

Texas A&M fans were leaving. Northern Iowa's contingent were practically planning trips to Anaheim. The Sweet 16 seemed a certainty for the Panthers. But just as Friday night's game defied belief, Sunday's game lived up to the 'March Madness' label.

With a minute or so to play, after an impressive performance throughout and a double-digit lead, I was mentally preparing for the conclusion. I was deciding where to shoot at the buzzer to get the best celebration shot, ideally of standout performer Jeremy Morgan. But that celebration shot was not to be.

In fact, the worst final minute collapse in the history of NCAA men's basketball was on the cards as Texas A&M sent the game into overtime, then won it in double-overtime.

A general rule in sports photography is to always shoot those celebrating first, then move to the losing side to show the opposite emotions. This is because exuberant celebrations such as after UNI's Friday night buzzer-beater are fleeting, while the devastation of a loss lingers longer, and is sometimes even more visible later on. This held true on Sunday.

Covering a losing locker room is one of the least enjoyable parts of sports photojournalism. Walking in to UNI's locker room on Sunday night felt like walking into a brick wall. The devastation was palpable within the heavy silence. I'm always very conscious of perceptions when I'm photographing the losing side.

I never want to exaggerate the mood of the locker room, never want to overdo the 'sad player' pictures. This is especially true when the players aren't professional athletes, they're college students. But at the same time it was a historic loss watched by millions of Americans across the country and I was there to document it with pictures.

The locker room was full of players staring at the ground, staring at the wall, some openly crying, trying to comprehend what had just happened on the court. First I took a couple wide angle photos of everyone's heads down in the room, and then a few more of the players answering questions from various reporters — something they did with gracefulness and professionalism.

After the questions, senior guard Wes Washpun got up to hug the teammates sitting by him one by one and I made this picture of Washpun of Cedar Rapids embracing junior Jeremy Morgan of Iowa City. It was surreal, as I'd photographed the two laughing and joking around in the same locker room the day before — A much easier image to take. But this one shows as much if not more about the bond on this team than any other photo I've taken on while covering them.

Thanks for reading, I'm not sure if I'll ever cover a crazier pair of basketball games than this.