See Penny Hardaway toss water bottle in frustration after Memphis' loss in March Madness

Penny Hardaway likely represented the mood of many Memphis basketball fans at the end of Friday's first-round NCAA Tournament game in Columbus, Ohio.

The Tigers coach tossed a water bottle across the floor in reaction to Memphis' last-second loss to FAU in heartbreaking fashion inside Nationwide Arena.

Hardaway's toss occurred after FAU's Nick Boyd put the Owls ahead with a drive and layup with 2.6 seconds left. Memphis' Alex Lomax took the inbound pass, dribbled to midcourt and passed ahead as time expired. Instead of a half-court shot attempt, Hardaway's water bottle went up toward the direction of the Tigers' basket.

Before then, a scramble with 5.5 seconds left resulted in a jump-ball call by the game officials instead of granting Alex Lomax a timeout for the Tigers. Had Lomax been given the timeout, Memphis would have kept the ball with a one-point lead. Instead, the possession arrow awarded the ball to the Owls.

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It was a topsy-turvy game, with FAU taking an early lead before a Memphis run late in the first half earned the Tigers a halftime lead. Memphis led for most of the second half until the layup with seconds left.

So it's no surprise that Hardaway was frustrated in reaction to the finish.

To add on, Fairleigh Dickinson's upset as a 16-seed against 1-seed Purdue opened up the top half of the East Region bracket. A chance to play a 16-seed for a Sweet 16 berth and a trip to New York City slipped through the Tigers' grasp.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: See Penny Hardaway toss water bottle after Memphis' March Madness loss