Controversial call in final moments helps Duke win national title (Video)
Duke outlasted Wisconsin to win its fifth national championship in program history, but it wasn’t without a bit of controversy down the stretch.
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The Blue Devils were up five with just under two minutes to go when the ball deflected out of bounds. Initially it looked like the ball deflected off of Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig, and the officials ruled it that way. Upon further review, the ball appeared to graze off the finger of Duke’s Justise Winslow.
Even after a lengthy replay review, the referees ruled that their original call would stand, giving Duke the ball.
The refs’ explanation for the call was a perplexing one.
On the Blue Devils’ ensuing possession, freshman Tyus Jones drilled a three-pointer to extend Duke’s lead to eight and all but put an end to the Badgers’ title dreams.
Wisconsin was able to cut the lead down to three, but Jones hit two free throws down the stretch to seal a 68-63 win.
Duke hit big shot after big shot down the stretch, but it will be hard for Wisconsin fans to not look at this puzzling call and wonder what would have happened if the call had been reversed.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
