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

[willtalk]

Paige showed how to lose gracefully in the post game press conference, something that is beyond many of the posters here. The slow-mo video clearly shows Aaliyah moving. The fact that the ref saw it and called it is, to me, a sign that the officials are not nearly as bad as fans make them out to be. I see it as a gutsy call. It was a great tourney run by an undermanned UConn team, one of the best in the 30 year I've followed them. Accepting loss as part of the game is very hard for many here.

Yes, the official made a great call. It was the right call. Where does the idea that the whistle should be swallowed at the end of games. Why should an official decide when to make fouls calls and when not. A non call impacts the game as much as a call does. Should the official swallow the whistle if Paige would have been fouled on her last shot had the call on Edwards not been made. Whats the difference? I have seen officials ignore an obvious shooting foul on a defender at the end of games just because they are intimidated into not making a call that might turn out to be wrong.

As too the Uconn fans being better than that, while the once definately were, now it questionable. Its easly to be objective while winning. The real test comes when the outcome does not go your way. This type of response even after seeing the slow mo replay does not reflect well on what I suspect is the rest of the UConn fans

 

[donalddoowop]

While I'm not blaming Geno, I thought the same thing as the play unfolded: With 3 seconds left, just go directly to Paige and let her improvise--she is best in the women's game at that...

I believe Geno believed his AA senior player knew how to set a legal screen. The ball going directly to Paige would have been hard as Iowa would double her and cause her to pass it. Not enough time. The play would have worked had Edwards executed it correctly. However, there was no guarantee Paige would have made the shot.

 

[UConnCat]

Yes, the official made a great call. It was the right call. Where does the idea that the whistle should be swallowed at the end of games. Why should an official decide when to make fouls calls and when not. A non call impacts the game as much as a call does. Should the official swallow the whistle if Paige would have been fouled on her last shot had the call on Edwards not been made. Whats the difference? I have seen officials ignore an obvious shooting foul on a defender at the end of games just because they are intimidated into not making a call that might turn out to be wrong.

As too the Uconn fans being better than that, while the once definately were, now it questionable. Its easly to be objective while winning. The real test comes when the outcome does not go your way. This type of response even after seeing the slow mo replay does not reflect well on what I suspect is the rest of the UConn fans

 

[snowkot]

1: Not unlike holding in the NFL, offensive fouls may be called on most every screen at the college and pro-level, men's or women's. That much is indisputable. This particular screen, slow-motion, frame-by-frame, whatever, was actually not that far off, if at all, from all the rest. As Taurasi remarked (words to the effect of), "It didn't even get her free."

2: Those who've played the game, college, pro, men, women (LeBron, Kelsey Plum, et al.) saw it the same: horrible call.

3: This occurred on what may well have been the winning play in the national semi-finals, sending one team or the other to the national championship game.

4: The call deprived the largest viewing audience in the history women's college basketball from a potential last second(s) shot from one of the two most visible single players in the country, following a turnover by the other most visible single player in the country.

5: Instead, the largest viewing audience in the history women's college basketball was left with a massive controversy.

For me, seems clear, those who come away from that game thinking it was anything other than a terrible moment from an official clearly not up to the level of the game, either has an agenda or is a troll.

For me, that official - making that call with such glee - should never again ref a game at any level.

 

[Superhuskies]

STILL an awful call and STILL should’ve been an afforded the shot to win the game. DVR the entirety of the game and you’ll see 18 to 9 in fouls and push offs to score baskets. Could we have played better? Maybe. The whistle was one sided and definitely impacted the gutsy Huskies.

Seems like MOST/ALMOST ALL all screen are actually "moving"- but that was blatant...AE--An old "Hockey" move/habit...?? 2 MINUTES IN THE PENALTY BOX ! ....and done right in front of...one of our fave WNBA refs--
A LOT of those are let go , maybe because the networks can't stay on 4 hours per game--gotta get to the next game/show---advertising $-- as anything on TV is a BUSINESS--- Or games would end with 1 on 1-- All other 26 players fouling out due to calling the the actual moving screens..........

 

[UCan3]

The call didn’t cost us the game. It cost us a chance to win or tie the game. Who know how that shot goes?

But it’s not a matter of should they call it or not In my book.

Take the NFL you could call holding on every play. But unless it is an egregious hold you almost never see it called at the end of the game. Refs know they would be placing their hands “on the scale” if they were to call it on last play of the game.

I don’t think it was a foul and at the very least it was “ticky tack” foul that ruined the game.. Not only for Uconn, but for anyone watching the game.


I think the game now was a bad aura, an asterisk, and was not a good look for women’s basketball. Many people were watching their first Women’s college bb game this season due to the super stars and it might be their last game after watching the refs take over and essentially end one of the greatest women‘s NCAA games ever.

Bad Karma all around this one and not just for UConn fans.

A couple of days removed from this, I am adjusting my take this just a bit.

We did put ourselves in a position to let the stripes make this type of call.

The first way we did this is we had been called for illegal screens 4 times. It was not the first call. We should have known they were not afraid to make this call - been more careful. That is coaching / player issue.

Secondly, the foul was right in front to ref and she did move just a tiny bit.

Do I think it should have been called?

No.

Do I still think the game has an asterisk?

No.

Live, Learn and we’ve got great news for next year already!

 

[Zarathustra]

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

That may be the definitive angle on the "moving pick", Illegal screen controversy.
But...... who would see such clarity in the fast action of "real" time. I watched this
replay from many angles (many replays). I believe what I see here (this video clip)... But I never
saw it in any other view. At the end of the game ,with any degree of ambiguity,
I still think the refs should error (?) on the side of a "no call" when there is any reason for
doubt. I had many doubts in all the previous views of this play...... ON TO NEXT YEAR!

 

[topogigio]

The call, and it was a correct call, did not cost the Huskies the game. They did not execute enough over the course of the game so they wouldn’t have put themselves in that position at the end of the game. Great effort overall, but UConn needed a close to perfect game. Came close, but not close enough!

 

[Mediocrites]

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

You usually can’t win a game in a hostile environment by one or two points. It has to be by several points in order to nullify the unconscious bias of the refs who are on some level pulling for the other team to win.

 

[MSGRET]

I guess that the only time a screen like Aaliyah did would be called is in a Women's College basketball game. You see those exact type of screens in the Men's game both college and pros and in the W all the time and it's a no call. The ref should have swallowed the whistle and let the game finish out.

 

[hoophuskee]

I guess that the only time a screen like Aaliyah did would be called is in a Women's College basketball game. You see those exact type of screens in the Men's game both college and pros and in the W all the time and it's a no call. The ref should have swallowed the whistle and let the game finish out.

It was obviosuy a bad call. You don't make that call. You're a ref. To excuse how you got fooled by the act of a player should not be an excuse. It was a blown opportuntiy made by refeering which is pretty substandard as it is- the issue was the bad call.

 

[Stinger92860]

It was obviosuy a bad call. You don't make that call. You're a ref. To excuse how you got fooled by the act of a player should not be an excuse. It was a blown opportuntiy made by refeering which is pretty substandard as it is- the issue was the bad call.

It was a moving screen. Sheesh…

 

[hoophuskee]

It was a moving screen. Sheesh…

Sheesh??

Sheesh is for the lawyers that look at letter of the law. Let's try to remember the game is not courtoom law.

 

[mainerhuski]

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

Watching the game over & seeing the # of no-calls as Iowa screened to try to scrape Nika off of CC shows why this should not have been called. If they are not going to call this in the first half they shouldn’t call it later.

 

[mainerhuski]

This is the thing thaat bothers me most, not that Edwards call wasn't appropriate but the imbalance of the calls: Clark as she got frustrated with Nika's smothering defense, was pushing, shoving, doing extended arm bars to free herself, and nothing was called...

CC did the same early in the SC game today, fortunately SC has a deep enough bench that it didn’t cause any big issues, but bs calls against SC did allow Iowa to be in the bonus early.

 

[mainerhuski]

A couple of days removed from this, I am adjusting my take this just a bit.

We did put ourselves in a position to let the stripes make this type of call.

The first way we did this is we had been called for illegal screens 4 times. It was not the first call. We should have known they were not afraid to make this call - been more careful. That is coaching / player issue.

Secondly, the foul was right in front to ref and she did move just a tiny bit.

Do I think it should have been called?

No.

Do I still think the game has an asterisk?

No.

Live, Learn and we’ve got great news for next year already!

The imbalance of fouls called against UConn v Iowa (on screens & otherwise) is just not supportable. UConn does not play some sort of hatchet-man D. Everyone saw the flopping that Iowa does, & knows that Clark pushes off & gets away with it. Refs are stupid to keep falling for those head-snapping flops when everyone knows they’ve been part of Iowa’s game plan for at least 2 years (and, yes, I dislike it when Nika head-snaps, too.)

 

[Husker Husky]

Turnabout is fair play. Down the stretch in the NC game, Iowa got hosed by the refs. CC got an absolutely clean block and was whistled. Her "Nooooooooooooo" scream was fitting. Later, Iowa had position for a block out rebound and the SC player caved her. Call against Iowa.

I would have thought Iowa players would have been irate, but their post game faces told it all. They had no confidence that they would or could win. They certainly played the last 3 minutes that way. They utterly melted down.