Wisconsin beats Kentucky amid controversy over two non-calls
Wisconsin ruined Kentucky’s perfect season Saturday night by upsetting the Wildcats 71-64 in a national semifinal at the Final Four.
The victory didn’t come without controversy.
[DraftKings: Free $25,000 March Madness Fantasy Basketball Contest]
Kentucky fans complained on social media after the game that their team was robbed when officials missed an apparent shot-clock violation on a made basket by Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes with 2 minutes, 40 seconds remaining. The basket evened the score at 60-60.
While Kentucky fans appear to be right about the missed call, it’s hard for them to argue their team lost the game on the play. After all, the game was tied at that point and there was still 2:40 to play, which can be an eternity in college basketball these days. Wisconsin ended up winning by seven points. Had the Badgers won by one or two, then there would be reason for Wildcats fans to be upset.
But it’s not like Kentucky didn’t also get away with something it shouldn’t have. This one is even more perplexing because officials reviewed it and still didn’t get it right.
Earlier in the second half, Kentucky forward Trey Lyles slapped Wisconsin guard Josh Gasser as they encountered each other in the lane. Officials reviewed the play and did not deem it worthy of a flagrant foul.
While the foul didn’t appear to be intentional on Lyles’ part, it certainly met the standard necessary for a Flagrant 1 foul, “illegal, non-excessive contact with an opponent above the shoulders.” Again, it’s hard to argue on either side that this play ultimately played much of a part in deciding the outcome of what was a seven-point margin of victory.
Bottom line here seems to be an off-night for the three officials.
– – – – – – –
[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
