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

[Kaizen]

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

The call ruined a classic game.

ftw.usatoday.com

 

[Kaizen]

 

[Kaizen]

Refs accused of bailing out Caitlin Clark and Iowa vs ...
The Mirror US
https://www.themirror.com › ... › March Madness


2 hours ago — Near the end of Friday's Final Four matchup between UConn and Iowa, a late-game offensive foul call on Aaliyah Edwards sparked a firestorm ...

 

[WestCoastHusky]

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.

 

[LETTERL]

You do not make THAT call at THAT time in the game. The players should have decided the game.

 

[Superhuskies]

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 !!

 

[Pmac923]

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 !!

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.

 

[iri10]

I've been reading social media about this, and you get two camps. One is "You shouldn't make that call at that point in the game," and the other is "a foul is a foul."

And it seems to me that it's an issue of whether you see the forest or the trees.

If you're asking whether or not Aaliyah committed a violation of the rules, re: screening position, the answer is probably yes, IMO. You could call her for a violation and be following the letter of the rules. That's the "trees" side of things.

You could also point out that because the referee chose to make that particular off ball call, at that particular time in the game, with that tight score...people are no longer talking about the actual basketball game. That was a very competitive, close, dramatic matchup. It should have been a showcase for the sport in its own right, with more people paying attention than they have in decades. But people are no longer talking about the 39 preceding minutes. Instead they're talking about a referee. That's the "forest" side of things.

But I'm a UConn fan. I don't claim to be unbiased. I'm sure I'd get over it more easily if the situation were reversed. But (I hope), I wouldn't feel completely sanguine about it. That's a rough, rough way to end a national semifinal.

 

[REB1094]

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

 

[CTFIRERETIRED]

This call like many others, in countless games, across ALL SPORTS, is just an indication that the level of officiating has deteriorated. The questions we have to ask is WHY IS IT?
Is it the fact that players have gotten so big, fast, and powerful, that officiating is not able to keep up? Is it because the game itself has gotten too fast for official's? Is it the fact that there's not enough official's in games, today. Remember that there was only 2 officals, calling games. Now there's 3, maybe it's time to increase that number to 4. Is it because some officials, umpires, and referees are not that very good? Some of these think that THEY are the most important part of the game. Finally, and the most sinister, is it because outside forces like the media, gamblers, administration's may want certain teams to win certain games to further their own agendas?
The answers to ALL of these questions is a sad YES. We may not want to believe it, and some may call me a "CONSPIRACY THEORIST ", but the signs are there. You cannot ignore them. What do you do, to change this?
My thoughts on that are too long, as I already have gone on too long. But just look at past incidents, in ALL sports and ask yourself if it was just a coincidence?

 

[omshanti]

I've been reading social media about this, and you get two camps. One is "You shouldn't make that call at that point in the game," and the other is "a foul is a foul."

And it seems to me that it's an issue of whether you see the forest or the trees.

If you're asking whether or not Aaliyah committed a violation of the rules, re: screening position, the answer is probably yes, IMO. You could call her for a violation and be following the letter of the rules. That's the "trees" side of things.

You could also point out that because the referee chose to make that particular off ball call, at that particular time in the game, with that tight score...people are no longer talking about the actual basketball game. That was a very competitive, close, dramatic matchup. It should have been a showcase for the sport in its own right, with more people paying attention than they have in decades. But people are no longer talking about the 39 preceding minutes. Instead they're talking about a referee. That's the "forest" side of things.

But I'm a UConn fan. I don't claim to be unbiased. I'm sure I'd get over it more easily if the situation were reversed. But (I hope), I wouldn't feel completely sanguine about it. That's a rough, rough way to end a national semifinal.

A foul is a foul. CC pushed KK is a foul. Officials are human and have unconscious biases. A conspiracy? Maybe not yet something stinks about the officiating. I’m not one to complain about the refs yet the timing of swallowing a whistle or making THAT call can’t be ignored here. Final Four with 4 seconds left. Of course Geno and the Huskies won’t call this out. Too many missed shots, bad passes, etc let to the situation at the end of the game. Let the players decide. I’m just sick of the CC hype all season. UConn is a class act and will continue to be that. Heart of a champion.

 

[oldude]

A few years ago in the Elite 8 game between Baylor and UConn, Dijonai Carrington attacked the basket late in a close game with UConn ahead. Liv went up to contest the shot. There was some minimal contact, but the refs did not blow the whistle.

Of course, Kim and Baylor’s fans were livid at the non-call. But clearly, at that point in the game, the refs did not want to determine the outcome. That was the right thing to do then. It also would have been the right thing to do last night.

 

[maple]

There’s so much that all officials allow during every game. Especially at the very end of a close game. How many times have we seen the same type of plays (or worse) never called at the end of close game? Especially with the season on the line?

Sure you can sit here and say that should have been called, but I could rewatch the game and point out probably 20 more rule violations (on both sides) that were never called. So either every single violation is called and every play is scrutinized to the nth degree in every game … or officials can swallow their whistles for the last ten seconds during a mad scramble to determine the winner. Which one is more true to the spirit of playing a ball game?

 

[jaydee602]

A question that hasn't been asked:
Would ref Gina Cross have made that call against Iowa with Caitlin Clark dribbling to set up the final shot?
Judging by the way the refs called this game, I sincerely doubt it!!

 

[Siestakeyfan]

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

The call ruined a classic game.

ftw.usatoday.com

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 !

 

[oldude]

A question that hasn't been asked:
Would ref Gina Cross have made that call against Iowa with Caitlin Clark dribbling to set up the final shot?
Judging by the way the refs called this game, I sincerely dooubt it!!

Just minutes before, Clark drove into the lane, barreling into KK, who had 4 fouls at the time. It could have been one of those charging/blocking decisions. But the refs swallowed their whistles and Clark hit a short one-hander from the lane.

At the time I really wanted a charge on Clark. But honestly, the ref’s “non-call” was the correct decision at that point in the game. Obviously, another “non-call” with 3.9 seconds left would also have been the correct decision.

 

[WiseWillie]

Just a horrible way to end a game. For the ref to make that call with 4 seconds on the clock and not let the game be decided by the players and the play particularly the way the same and worse fouls were not called during the game is just wrong plain and simple. UConn should not go quietly.

 

[SLY63]

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.

 

[UCan3]

I've been reading social media about this, and you get two camps. One is "You shouldn't make that call at that point in the game," and the other is "a foul is a foul."

And it seems to me that it's an issue of whether you see the forest or the trees.

If you're asking whether or not Aaliyah committed a violation of the rules, re: screening position, the answer is probably yes, IMO. You could call her for a violation and be following the letter of the rules. That's the "trees" side of things.

You could also point out that because the referee chose to make that particular off ball call, at that particular time in the game, with that tight score...people are no longer talking about the actual basketball game. That was a very competitive, close, dramatic matchup. It should have been a showcase for the sport in its own right, with more people paying attention than they have in decades. But people are no longer talking about the 39 preceding minutes. Instead they're talking about a referee. That's the "forest" side of things.

But I'm a UConn fan. I don't claim to be unbiased. I'm sure I'd get over it more easily if the situation were reversed. But (I hope), I wouldn't feel completely sanguine about it. That's a rough, rough way to end a national semifinal.

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.

 

[SLY63]

They should have let the ref paste the Iowa name tag into the final game

 

[Geesworld]

 

[Conndog]

It was a very quick whistle, too- hmmm

 

[Henry]

I could deal with the loss if we got off a shot and missed, but to not have been given that chance considering the other non-calls and missed calls in the game is hard to take. I think they were making it up to Iowa for last year's poorly reffed final.

 

[RC111]

A few years ago in the Elite 8 game between Baylor and UConn, Dijonai Carrington attacked the basket late in a close game with UConn ahead. Liv went up to contest the shot. There was some minimal contact, but the refs did not blow the whistle.

Of course, Kim and Baylor’s fans were livid at the non-call. But clearly, at that point in the game, the refs did not want to determine the outcome. That was the right thing to do then. It also would have been the right thing to do last night.

Remember the play. Another key difference was that play had been physical all game and the refs had bee consistently not calling fouls. Last night was not consistent.