Michael Gbinije froze in his place when he wasn't able to blow past Devin Wilson, who draped all over him on the biggest possession of the game. But like Syracuse, Gbinije didn't panic as he used his pivot foot to slide to his right and create enough separation to put up the soft floater that would decide the game.
The Syracuse Orange, improbably, stormed back late in the second half to stun the Virginia Tech Hokies and a jubilant Carrier Dome crowd.
"This comeback ranks up there with any that I've ever been a part of," Jim Boeheim said.
Gbinije scored the last six points of the game and his turn around layup with 0.1 seconds left in the game gave Syracuse a 72-70 win that seemed unlikely for most of the second half. Gbinije scored a team-high 18 points, helping the Orange overcome a double-digit deficit and end a two-game losing skid.
The Orange needed it, too, with Trevor Cooney unable to find his outside shooting touch and Rakeem Christmas unable to score as efficiently as he's done on most nights.
The Orange (15-7, 6-3) trailed 63-50 with 6:31 left in the game, a product of an 11-0 Hokies run, when Jim Boeheim started to press.
Syracuse forced eight turnovers from there on, including a pair in the final 30 seconds that, ultimately, sealed Virginia Tech's fate.
"To be able to get those turnovers without fouling, I thought our guys did an amazing job," Jim Boeheim said.
The Hokies' careless ball handling became even more problematic because the team couldn't keep hitting 3's at the same rate as earlier in the half. Virginia Tech made seven 3-pointers in the second half, but didn't hit any after the 8:30 mark.
With 26 seconds left, Rakeem Christmas stole the ball and found Gbinije, who used his driving ability to get to the lane and draw the foul. Gbinije rectified an abysmal free throw shooting night for Syracuse (16-for-29, 55 percent) by sinking a pair to tie the game at 70.
Then Trevor Cooney caused a backcourt violation on the Hokies with 7.1 seconds left by deflecting an errant pass from the left baseline to midcourt.
It set up Gbinije's last second heroics that completed a comeback that saved the game and, perhaps, the season.
"Every win in the ACC is going to be a battle, regardless of the team," Gbinije said. "It's just nice to get one more under our belt."