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The Horrendous Officiating that has Hurt College Basketball Continued Last Night

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The biggest stage in College basketball, the Final Four, has had some pretty controversial/wild finishes in its history. Chris Webber calling a timeout Michigan didn’t have against North Carolina, Mario Chalmers hitting a buzzer-beater to tie the game against Memphis, and Aaron Harrison’s 3-pointer to beat Wisconsin are some of the dramatic moments that come to mind. But, last night was dramatic in a different way.

Virginia’s Ty Jerome hit a three with 5:20 left in the 2nd half, giving the Cavaliers a 10-point advantage and it looked like they would cruise to victory from there. That didn’t happen. Back-to-back threes from Bryce Brown cut the Virginia lead to just three points with 3:20 left. Danjel Purifoy drove to the basket for a layup, then Brown hit another clutch three-pointer to give the Tigers a 59-57 lead.

Then Chaos ensued. Anfernee McLemore hit two free throws, giving Auburn a four-point lead with 17 seconds left. Then, Kyle Guy hit a corner three-ball with 6.8 seconds left, cutting the Auburn lead to 1. Jared Harper was fouled, hit 1/2 free throws, and Virginia had a chance to tie or take the lead.

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Coming down the court, Virginia’s Ty Jerome dribbled the ball off his foot, picked the ball back up, and dribbled again. An obvious double-dribble that the referees missed. But, before this, there is a jersey pull by Bryce Brown, which was not called either. Looking back at the replay, the jersey pull didn’t effect Jerome’s dribble and it wasn’t really even a foul. Good no call.

Look at the replay and see for yourself:

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The Tigers had fouls to give, so Virginia didn’t go to the line for two free throws, which maybe would’ve been a better result for Auburn fans than what would happen next.

Virginia calls a timeout and Tony Bennett sets up a play. The ball comes to Kyle Guy in the corner, he shoots a three for the win that misses, but a whistle is blown right as the ball hits the rim, “did I hear a whistle?” Jim Nantz says. A foul on a 3-point shot by Samir Doughty. Yikes.

Looking back at the play, as much as I hate to see a game end that way, it was the right call. Doughty came into Guys air-space and bumped him. Guy, who openly struggles with anxiety and after the game admitted to being terrified at the line, clutched up and sank three huge free throws. Auburn, with .6 seconds left, needed a miracle. It didn’t happen and Virginia won the game.

Here’s the call that gave Virginia the win:

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This has to be one of the most heartbreaking losses in college basketball, especially for Auburn with it being their first Final Four in program history.

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I have no problem with the call. I do have a problem with the missed double-dribble though. You cannot miss that. Virginia shouldn’t have even had the ball and Auburn should’ve been in the title game.

This blown call continues what has been a horrible season for college basketball officiating. It has been bad for a while, but nothing compared to this year. I know the NCAA won’t do anything, but it has to be embarrassed at the job it’s officials have done this year.

Tomorrow, two teams who have never played in a national championship game will square with a championship at stake. Be prepared for nervous basketball and a very low scoring game.

Let me know who wins because I will not be watching.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Receiving High Praise in Power Rankings, High as No. 2 According to One Analyst

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The Kentucky Wildcats are the early surprise of the college basketball season, receiving high praise after a big win over Duke.
Chet White | UK Athletics

It was different to see Kentucky ranked 23rd in the preseason AP Poll, their lowest since the 2008 season. However, a week and a half into the season, they are already climbing the rankings.

Jumping to No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the Coaches poll this week, the Wildcats will take another good jump when the updated polls are released Monday, after defeating sixth-ranked Duke in the Champion’s Classic 77-72. They will likely fall in the 11-14 range.

That said, some analysts believe Kentucky is a top 10 team, including one from CBS that has them ranked as the SECOND best team in the country.

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Let’s take a look.

CBS

2. Kentucky Wildcats (3-0)

It took all of three games for Mark Pope to capture a signature victory at Kentucky. UK outlasted No. 6 Duke on Tuesday in the Champions Classic, nailing 10 3s in the win and downing Duke despite a huge game from Blue Devils freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.

ESPN

8. Kentucky Wildcats (3-0)
Preseason ranking: 23

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At halftime during the Champions Classic, it was fair to question whether Kentucky could consistently get points in a half-court setting against a strong opponent. Duke was keeping the Wildcats out of transition, and after an early barrage of 3s, the team’s attack had dried up. Then Mark Pope made some smart tweaks offensively, using Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison as playmakers in the middle of the floor, and Andrew Carr created matchup problems. The Wildcats answered a lot of questions with their second-half showing.


If the Wildcats are able to maintain this momentum and keep themselves high in the rankings, they will truly be one of the best stories of this college basketball season. A storied program, with a new coach and an entirely new roster.

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Men's Basketball

ESPN Anchor Discredits Kentucky After Win Over Duke, “They’ve Already Peaked”

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An ESPN anchor is discrediting Kentucky after their big win against Duke. "Where does Kentucky go from here? They’ve already peaked."
Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off of a statement win against Duke. However, many of the national stories shortly after the game were about Duke and Cooper Flagg. Now one SportsCenter Host, Shae Peppler, is even discrediting the Wildcats, suggesting they’ve already peaked.

“It’s only their third game of the season,” Peppler said. “You talk about how he [Pope] totally rebuilt this roster from scratch and did it in such a short time. Now where does Kentucky go from here? They’ve already peaked, it feels like.”

To his credit, former Duke guard Jay Williams took up for the Cats quickly after they defeated his alma mater the night before. “No, no, they’re not peaking. You have a team full of veterans that know how to play.”

Mark Pope said postgame that he will be keeping the team off of social media, to prevent them from getting too high or low. This is a perfect example of why.

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In just a few weeks, the Wildcats will have another big test as they take on the fourth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in Seattle. They will look to prove themselves right, and prove the doubters wrong, again.

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Mark Pope Showed Team Past Kentucky-Duke Games Before Champion’s Classic Win, Help Them Understand the Rivalry

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Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope showed his players past Kentucky-Duke games to help them understand the rivalry and prepare for the Champion's Classic.
Dale Zanine | Imagn

The days of most college basketball players spending three to four seasons with one school are long gone. For years elite freshmen have entered the draft after one season, and now the most talented experienced players are jumping into the portal to spend a season or two at bigger schools.

It’s hard to fault players for these moves, looking to better themselves and their careers. However, it does make it difficult for them to understand what a program means to its fanbase, and the history behind them, such as long-standing rivalries.

Despite assembling a team of 13 new players, including nine transfers, Mark Pope is doing his best to make sure his players understand the deep traditions and storied history of Kentucky Basketball.

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Prior to the Wildcats’ game against Duke in the Champions Classic, he had a video made to not only help them understand, but to feel the Kentucky-Duke rivalry.

“We started with a little bit of a hype video and just gave our guys context,” Pope said in a postgame radio interview with Matt Jones. “The beginning of the video is a bunch of Jack Givens highlights about his National Championship against Duke. Then, of course, in the Spectrum with Christian Laettner. Then the Comeback Cats national championship in ’98. It just gave our guys a sense of the context they were walking into in this game. Our guys were very, very aware of what this means.”

From the reactions and celebration after the game, you can tell the players got the message and felt the accomplishment of giving Big Blue Nation that win.

“It’s special. This is special for Kentucky.”

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