This is one of those calls that people will continue to debate for a long time.
No. 13 seed Sanford trailed No. 4 seed Kansas on Thursday night and looked like it could have been an upset, but a controversial foul all but ended the dream and the Jayhawks ended their NCAA Tournament first-round game with a 93-0 lead. He won with -89 and let out a scream.
Jaden Campbell made a 3-pointer with less than 15 seconds left in the second half to bring the Bulldogs within one point, then Kansas inbounded the ball and Nicholas Timberlake made a dunk to put the Jayhawks back within three points. And so.
But AJ Staton-McRae caught him from behind with what appeared to be a perfectly timed block, forcing Sanford to take the shot.
But it was all in vain.
The referee called Staton-McRae a shooting foul, and Timberlake sank both free throws.
However, replays showed that Staton-McRae only blocked the ball and should not have been called for a foul, sparking much anger across the college basketball world.
“It’s an unbelievable block from Sanford with the game on the line,” TBS analyst Brendan Haywood said.
Rules analyst Gene Steratore agreed with Heywood’s assessment, as did many social media users.
“Couldn’t tweet right away but it’s serious,” Lonzo Ball posted. X immediately after phone call.
“Sanford got fouled…Come on! This was all about the ball.” Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel wrote:.
In the post-game roundtable show, analyst Kenny Smith also criticized those involved.
“We sat here and watched them review like seven calls and they couldn’t review that one,” Smith said.
After much commotion, Kansas University will face Gonzaga University in the next second round.
