Elvis has entered the building.

With six seconds left in a tie game, NIU drove down the court. Without a timeout left, Huskie guard Sean Smith pulled up and released a mid-range jumper. The shot was off.

But forward Egan Grafel continued to play. The senior tipped the ball as the backboards turned red. The scoreboard read Huskies 65, Visitors 63.

But just as the crowd of 1,042 exploded in the Convocation Center, the referees began to wave off the shot. No good – the game seemed to be going to overtime.

“After I tipped it in, I thought it was before the buzzer,” Grafel said. “[Lamar University] said they were going to challenge it.”

This is where “Elvis” played his part.

Last Thursday Brad Hoey, video producer/director of Intercollegiate Athletics, and his staff brought the EVS instant replay system to the Convo from Huskie Stadium. The EVS, better known as the Elvis Unit in the business, allows for multiple channels to be shown during instant replay.

While the $70,000 system is required for college football, it is not necessary for college basketball.

With NIU’s (1-6) last shot on the line, the referee crew headed to the scorer’s table to review the final second of the game.

“We all kind of thought that the ball was in as we showed by celebrating,” said forward Shaun Logan, who put up a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds. “But there was a little bit nervousness.”

Minutes went by, as the refs stared in the small monitor. It seemed like an eternity passed as the three officials replayed just one of the game’s 2,400 seconds.

Finally, the crew walked away from the table. An official placed his left hand up in the air with his index and middle finger extended.

Two points; NIU wins.

For the second time that day the Convo exploded. The Huskies jumped in the air hugging each other, while Lamar silently walked off the court.

“The King” had spoken to the officials, leaving NIU fans saying, “Thank you, thank you very much.”