Photo by Phil Ellsworth / ESPN(EVANSTON, Ill.) — For the first time ever, the Northwestern Wildcats could be looking ahead to an NCAA Tournament berth this March.

Following a stunning last-second win over Michigan on Wednesday night, Northwestern now has 21 wins on the season and ten wins in a competitive Big Ten conference. The most recent win came in a tightly-contested matchup with the bubble-contending Michigan Wolverines.

With just seconds left in the game, Northwestern’s Nathan Taphorn threw an inbounds pass nearly the length of the court and watched as Dererk Pardon hit the game-winning layup at the buzzer.

Northwestern had taken possession after Michigan’s Zak Irvin missed a go-ahead three-pointer with seconds left and the ball went out of bounds.

Taphorn called the play one he will always remember, and Pardon admitted he wasn’t sure that the pass would be on target. Still, the Wildcats emerged with a 67-65 win.

Northwestern hosted the first Final Four in NCAA Tournament history, but had never appeared in the tournament. After a hot start to the season, the Wildcats had lost five of their last seven games, and some were wondering whether they would finish strong to clinch a tournament berth.

The Wildcats will host number 16 Purdue in their final home game of the season on Sunday, with their tournament prospects looking good.

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