A late-season slide by Wichita State seemed to leave Southern Illinois as the only team in the conference headed to the N.C.A.A. tournament.
But a late-season slide, including six straight losses on the road, has created the perception that the wheels may be coming off the Magic Bus.
In 1999, a late-season slide nearly cost the Mets a playoff berth.
A firm talk before the game between Coach Eddie Sutton and Williams helped defeat Penn and stop the team's late-season slide.
Esiason's late-season slide - his second in as many seasons with the Jets - coincided with the demise of the offense.
Wake Forest could not reverse a late-season slide.
Valentine survived a gut-wrenching, late-season slide and had the last laugh, or until Kenny Rogers sent him home from Atlanta for a postseason cry.
The Knicks must overcome any emotional fallout from their late-season slide.
This is the third straight season in which the Mets have gone into a late-season slide.
My guess is the voters won't hold James accountable for the Cavaliers' late-season slide, which coincided with an injury to their point guard, Jeff McInnis.