When Hofstra's Eli Pemberton launched a full-court heave with less than one second left in the first half Thursday against James Madison, the situation looked innocent enough. Many fans and the announcers ignored the shot, until, all of a sudden, the ball swooshed through the net, prompting questions. Was the the longest shot ever? Did Pemberton just break an NCAA record?
The answer: Close, but it looks a little short.
On Feb. 7, 1985, Marshall's Bruce Morris released a similar Hail Mary shot from a little farther away on the court.
His shot, known as the "Shot Herd Round the World," also came at the end of the first half and helped his team ultimately defeat Appalachian State, 93-82. The shot was originally measured by officials to be 92 feet and 5.25 inches, though the distance was later measured again to its current 89 feet and 10 inches mark.
Marshall submitted the shot to the Guinness Book of World Records. Morris did indeed break the previous holder, which was Virginia Tech's Les Henson against Florida State five years earlier. Henson nailed his shot from 89 feet and three inches.
THE LONGEST SHOT: Marshall's Morris hit the longest shot ever 31 years ago
Here's a video of that famous shot almost 34 years ago. Find the shot around the 24-second mark in the video below.
Pemberton's version came just days after he earned CAA Player of the Week honors after averaging 25 points per game in Hofstra's most recent two games against UNC-Wilmington and Charleston.
On Thursday, Pemberton finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals as Hofstra improved to 18-3 overall and 8-3 in the conference. Hofstra has now won 15 games in a row.