Brian Rohleder was perhaps the last player expected to have an impact on Kansas State’s opening game of the 2014 N.C.A.A. tournament.
But before the game even began, Rohleder, a walk-on sophomore at Kansas State who had scored 2 points in 31 minutes that season, forged a bond with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who from 1966 to 1969, while known as Lew Alcindor, had scored 2,325 points for U.C.L.A.
As Kansas State’s players warmed up to take on Kentucky, one of Rohleder’s teammates threw down a one-handed dunk. A few seconds later, with 19 minutes 58 seconds to go before tipoff, Rohleder himself dunked with two hands, his arms reaching just high enough to complete the attempt.