USA Today: A terrible call ruined a perfect ending to Iowa and UConn's Final Four matchup and fans are livid

[good2go]

Carter on late offensive foul: 'That call sucked, SVP'​

Andraya Carter joins Scott Van Pelt and expresses her dislike for the controversial call at the end of UConn vs. Iowa.

Carter on late offensive foul: 'That call sucked, SVP'​

Andraya Carter joins Scott Van Pelt and expresses her dislike for the controversial call at the end of UConn vs. Iowa.

I agree. ESPN has been hyping Caitlin Clark as the GOAT. She is a very good shooter but Nika Muhl really shut her dow. ESPN is so heavily invested in hyping Clark and they got the game that they wanted in the finals. The refs were just following ESPN’s script.

 

[Huskie837]

Terrible, terrible call. Ruins the Husky season and horrible optics for the NCAA

 

[jorge34]

That call would also have been highly questionable the first minute of the game.
Referring in woman’s college basketball is THE WORST of any sport I’ve viewed, and it’s not all that close. I’m not entirely sure they know what a foul is, from minute to minute, depending on who has possession. Is egregiously horrific.

 

[Geesworld]

 

[CTFIRERETIRED]

ABSOLUTELY correct ! HOWEVER 1962 GRAD FORMER FINANCIAL background- NCAA is a business. Caitlan Clark created, along with Geno Auriemma Etal a major explosion in Women's basketball. The LSU vs Iowa game produced 13 million viewers, and planning for a replication , or even more was anticipated with S. Carolina vs Iowa -Clark Sunday. All employees/referees were instructed accordingly. However short handed, OVER achieving, Superbly coached UCONN women thru the proverbial monkey wrench into these well layed out plans. Media, advertisers, etc. Even highly experienced referees were not prepared for the talented/sophisticated HARD working UCONN players. A 4th quarter comeback created some panic. A HORRIBLE bailout foul call near the end of the game restored the $$$ business model for the SYSTEM ! A minor travesty for women's basketball to UCONN fans as VERY UNFAIR- however life is that way sometimes !

NAILED IT. You hit it dead square. Yes, it's a business. Whether it's football, basketball, baseball, hockey or soccer. If UCONN won, and faced South Carolina instead of Iowa facing, SC, how much LESS MONEY would be bet on that finals game? Watch that finals game, and watch how the game is being officiated. The keys will be if the "Zebra's" let them play, or if they will protect Clark.

 

[Zonepress]

It was a foul, but not a foul that you should call in that situation and not a foul that was consistently called this game. Players were getting mugged off ball all game with minimal calls. Just a few minutes prior to that, Clark shoved KK off with an extended elbow to hit a clutch jumper and it wasn’t called

It was a foul, but a horrible time to start enforcing it last night

You are spot on

 

[Rowdy831]

That foul hurt a little but not getting the rebound on the missed free throw was what really ended the game. No excuse for that one and it happened on a few missed foul shots in the game. But in the end UConn played into the final weekend so the fans got a full season to watch the team we all love.

 

[cuzinvinny]

It's not about how you play the game, it's how the refs can ruin it in a heartbeat...

 

[mauconnfan]

UC was STILL down one, and STILL had to score to tie/take lead, if that call hadn't made..and Iowa may have STILL had some time for a last shot IF we scored...
That one apparently correct, call, to me, right in front of that WNBA ref- she looked like a blocking NFL lineman on the replay, even if it had been wrong, didn't cost them the game--(but I do admit that almost all screens are "moving," somewhat )--
What did was too many horrible turnovers, not enough Paige shots, especially in 4th quarter, very few/no down low shots by our big Aliyah, who took 15-16-17 ft jumpers instead, ...and bad coaching (?),...
They beat themselves-- gave the game away, I think, especially with Killer Kaitlin being mostly not very good....
Of course, the Iowa D may deserve credit, too--..I'll check the DVR 14 times to check-- Just a casual fan, here !!
Also the very underrated Miss Martin was awesome- good for her- the offensive MVP.....BUT GOOD LUCK SUNDAY, HAWKEYES !!! SQUAWK !! SQUAWK !!

Casual fan who pointed out he was a WNBA ref. I haven’t watched a WNBA game I’m sure in 5 years but he proves all womens refereeing is awful and it needs to change. They are consistently bad game after game and the women’s game deserves better.

Having said that he was awful all game, clueless to say the least and he ended it with a beauty. That’s not a blocking call at the 5 minute mark of the first quarter never mind with 4 seconds left. She picked one way and turned to pick another way, the defender didn’t call it out for Marshall as it was bang bang and Marshall acted it out after running into a brick wall called Edwards. An awful call no doubt about it you’re wrong.

You are right though the Huskies were behind and Paige needed to make a play. But that’s what ESPN and womens college basketball wanted. The ball in the hands of Clark or Bueckers to win a one point game with time running out. Not some stiff referee making a call off the ball that was questionable at the very best. He took the spotlight off of what everyone wanted so he’s an awful ref WNBA or not, period!

 

[cgshuskie]

A horrible call. Uconn got robbed. Aaliyahs arms moved but not her feet. That is not a bad screen or moving block. Ref who made that call should never ref a major game again.

 

[Martin]

Blame Geno. He could have just inbounded the ball to Paige and let her try to win it instead. Too much can go wrong trying to get a play set up for her. And they never got a shot off.

 

[politics]

Play goes as designed, UConn hits winner. Bluder would have said zero about that screen.

 

[huskyd]

A ref's (close) call should never decide the outcome of a game this important. That being said, Paige was correct in saying that the call did not determine the outcome of the game. The game was decided when Aaliyah missed some early bunnies and fts. It was decided when KK threw the ball to no one and/or was stripped by being out of control. It was decided when Ash forgot how to shoot. Only Paige was blameless. W/out her UConn would never have gotten this far. It is not the case that this moment will be forever etched on the minds of the participants, as one writer suggested. This team wasn't supposed to get to this game, probably shouldn't have been there, and likely would have been decimated by SC in the end (as Iowa will be). The Hawkeyes' high water mark has been reached on the slim shoulders of a celestial talent, and the team will fall back into familiar anonymity day after next.
Geno will be back, though, and reloaded (especially if Sara S. decides to come to Storrs) and ready for the next campaign. What's sad, in the end, is that so much time, work, effort that went into overcoming great odds to reach the Final Four should be wiped out by some nameless, faceless, ref whose purported blunder impacted so many. Paige is blessed and cursed in (equal?) measure--she'd say blessed. Ditto.

 

[Forego]

That foul call was tantamount to Jim Joyce’s “safe” call that ruined Armando Galarrago’s bid for a perfect game. Ultimately the sports media’s response to the foul along with social media’s response may finally shine a spotlight on the poor officiating in NCAA Women’s Basketball and result in some positive action by the governing body. What say you NCAA?

“Crickets”

 

[and one]

The call wasn't literally wrong, just bad. A great game that should have been decided by whether Paige hits or misses was instead decided by a ref making a marginal call. Like offensive holding in football, calls on screeners could be called on almost every possession. Refs will tell you they try not to decide games unless the foul/penalty is obvious, agrigious, and directly affects the play. AE's screen was pretty ordinary and any good ref wouldn't basically say game over.

 

[willtalk]

Yesterday I watched a video that showed a frontside court level view of the pick. You could clearly see Edwards back foot leave the ground as she moved towards the defender even after contact. It was not just her body leaning in but her foot moving forward. You can even see her feet seem to slide forward from the side views. Even the higher front view shows the heel of her foot off the ground, In the lower view it shows her entire foot off the gound. That is beyond a doubt a moving pick. Since the pick freed up the ball handler that was a call that needed to be made.

I also think it is about time that an official made a foul call at the end of a game. That is when a call is most important and to not make a call is pure cowardes. A non call on a legit foul can impact a game as well as a call on that is non legit. Where does the idea come from that you are supposed to swallow the whistle at the end of a game.

 

[omshanti]

Yesterday I watcheda video that showed a frontside court level view of the pike. You could clearly see Edwards back foot leave the ground as she moved towards the defender even after contact. It was not just her body leaning in but her foot moving forward. You can even see her feet seem to slide forward from the side views. Even the higher front view shows the heel of her foot off the ground, In the lower view it shows her entire foot off the gound. That is beyond a doubt a moving pick. Since the pick freed up the ball handler that was a call that needed to be made.

I also think it is about time that an official made a foul call at the end of a game. That is when a call is most important and to not make a call is pure cowardes. A non call on a legit foul can impact a game as well as a call on that is non legit. Where does the idea come from that you are supposed to swallow the whistle at the end of a game.

Watch a video of CC pushing KK to get her shot off. The whistle was swallowed there. So what is the difference? You can’t have it both ways

 

[donalddoowop]

UCONN was robbed. There is no way that screen was a foul. If that was a foul, almost every screen in the game should have been called a foul. The ref ruined a good game, and it sucks we got the worst end of it.

The foul call may have been unfortunate but, it was the correct call. Edwards was called for moving screens all season. Being a senior, she should know how to set a screen and hold it. A foul is a foul no matter what part of the game it happens. I believed if the game was close at the end that any close call would go Iowa's way. The discrepancy in number of fouls called is very suspect but, the call on Edwards was the correct call. I believe ESPN very much wanted a SC Iowa matchup for the final.

 

[Windsorlocks]

Hard not to call it when it’s that clear….

 

[DRBackup]

UC was STILL down one, and STILL had to score to tie/take lead, if that call hadn't made..and Iowa may have STILL had some time for a last shot IF we scored...
That one apparently correct, call, to me, right in front of that WNBA ref- she looked like a blocking NFL lineman on the replay, even if it had been wrong, didn't cost them the game--(but I do admit that almost all screens are "moving," somewhat )--
What did was too many horrible turnovers, not enough Paige shots, especially in 4th quarter, very few/no down low shots by our big Aliyah, who took 15-16-17 ft jumpers instead, ...and bad coaching (?),...
They beat themselves-- gave the game away, I think, especially with Killer Kaitlin being mostly not very good....
Of course, the Iowa D may deserve credit, too--..I'll check the DVR 14 times to check-- Just a casual fan, here !!
Also the very underrated Miss Martin was awesome- good for her- the offensive MVP.....BUT GOOD LUCK SUNDAY, HAWKEYES !!! SQUAWK !! SQUAWK !!

Its as simple as this - you DO NOT make that call to end the game. EVER

 

[DRBackup]

The foul call may have been unfortunate but, it was the correct call. Edwards was called for moving screens all season. Being a senior, she should know how to set a screen and hold it. A foul is a foul no matter what part of the game it happens. I believed if the game was close at the end that any close call would go Iowa's way. The discrepancy in number of fouls called is very suspect but, the call on Edwards was the correct call. I believe ESPN very much wanted a SC Iowa matchup for the final.

Nope. You don't end the game on a foul call on a screen.

 

[Stinger92860]

Wild things happen at the end of basketball games all the time. There are game-winning shots, incredible defensive plays, wild turnovers. You can see it all at the end of any given basketball game. That’s just the nature of the sport.

But the one thing you always hope for in the end is that the game is left in the hands of the players. You want to see someone make a play to either win or lose it. That’s the perfect way to determine which team is the better one.

What you absolutely don’t want to see is an official effectively ending the game with a call one way or another. Especially when that call is an egregiously bad one.

That’s exactly what happened at the end of Iowa and UConn’s Final Four matchup.

A terrible call ruined a perfect ending to Iowa and UConn's Final Four matchup and fans are livid

Wild things happen at the end of basketball games all the time. There are game-winning shots, incredible defensive plays, wild turnovers. You can see it all at the end of any given basketball game.…

ftw.usatoday.com

I still think AE should have set a cleaner screen and it’s something our team(s) seems to have trouble with. Moving beyond that, let’s assume there is no call in an alternate universe and Paige drives to the basket and get hammered.

Would the refs call that foul? I doubt it.

Last night there were phantom fouls called on us (Nika, KK, etc.) and fouls by Iowa that were not called. Free throws were 14 to 4 in favor of Iowa. Fouls were 18 to 9 in favor of Iowa. Iowa gets the win on the free throw line due to the significant disadvantage.

This feels as bad as the loss to Miss State.

 

[Stinger92860]

Nope. You don't end the game on a foul call on a screen.

@donalddoowop is right.

Two different things here. Should they make the call? No. Should AE know how to set a proper screen in that situation? Yes.

It not was not an egregious moving screen, but AE gave the ref the opportunity to make the call.

 

[BlueandOG]

UC was STILL down one, and STILL had to score to tie/take lead, if that call hadn't made..and Iowa may have STILL had some time for a last shot IF we scored...
That one apparently correct, call, to me, right in front of that WNBA ref- she looked like a blocking NFL lineman on the replay, even if it had been wrong, didn't cost them the game--(but I do admit that almost all screens are "moving," somewhat )--
What did was too many horrible turnovers, not enough Paige shots, especially in 4th quarter, very few/no down low shots by our big Aliyah, who took 15-16-17 ft jumpers instead, ...and bad coaching (?),...
They beat themselves-- gave the game away, I think, especially with Killer Kaitlin being mostly not very good....
Of course, the Iowa D may deserve credit, too--..I'll check the DVR 14 times to check-- Just a casual fan, here !!
Also the very underrated Miss Martin was awesome- good for her- the offensive MVP.....BUT GOOD LUCK SUNDAY, HAWKEYES !!! SQUAWK !! SQUAWK !!

This is a huge word salad of nonsense. Are you saying you agree with the call and wish the best for Iowa? Just say that.

 

[TN-Gamecock]

You have to look at the totality of the game. There were calls that went both ways. It happens. If you want the game bad enough, you beat the opponent by 20 points not lose by 1 or 2 points then complain about the refs. C'mon UCONN fans, you're better than this.