The Ref Called a Foul at the End of the Game

[Oldgym]

I don't think there was any foul to call. May have been viewed as an inadvertent whistle.

Exactly right.

[warriorstrack]

Like this foul?
https://twitter.com/RobDauster/status/824849203578839040

Has flopping been up down or the same this year, seems like it was really bad in the recent past and was getting worse.

With MU's great guards, I'm sure it is something that is addressed, both on MU's side and when a team scouts us.

[barfolomew]

Agree foul was phantom, and may have been deemed to be after the horn anyway.

One other thing I wondered about as I rewatched those last couple minutes last night.

During the clock snafu "timeout", they showed the camera on Jay Wright in the huddle as they were drawing up their last play. Jay looked toward Brunson and said "... and if we score," something. At first it looked like he said "foul", but that wouldn't make sense. Anyone better at reading lips than I?

[Benny B]

Like this foul?
https://twitter.com/RobDauster/status/824849203578839040

Has flopping been up down or the same this year, seems like it was really bad in the recent past and was getting worse.

With MU's great guards, I'm sure it is something that is addressed, both on MU's side and when a team scouts us.

I sincerely hope the NCAA starts calling technicals for flopping soon.  Otherwise, this is going to get out of hand really quick.

[warriorchick]

I sincerely hope the NCAA starts calling technicals for flopping soon.  Otherwise, this is going to get out of hand really quick.

Word.  I will be pissed if NCAA hoops starts looking like this:

[fjm]

Word.  I will be pissed if NCAA hoops starts looking like this:

I love soccer. But those are embarrassing.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

https://www.google.com/amp/thebiglead.com/2017/02/05/video-st-bonaventure-lost-because-fans-stormed-the-court-too-early/amp/?client=ms-android-verizon

I'm so glad this didn't happen to us

[jsglow]

https://www.google.com/amp/thebiglead.com/2017/02/05/video-st-bonaventure-lost-because-fans-stormed-the-court-too-early/amp/?client=ms-android-verizon

I'm so glad this didn't happen to us

Agreed.  But the situation was somewhat different in at least three regards. First, it's an AUTOMATIC clock stoppage after a made basket in the final minute.  No way the game way over when the ball went through the net.  Second, the Bonnie bench lost self control and rushed the court when there was clearly still time on the clock.  Third, the students followed their lead and quickly regaining control proved impossible.  The refs had absolutely zero alternative but to assess the technical. 

In our case, the clock was properly rolling and an official 50 feet away had the discretion to make a decision to swallow his whistle.  Moreover, the clock continued to roll to 0:00 long before any students got near the court.  I'd argue that's more like the situation yesterday when Katin went all Harlem Globetrotters in the final couple of seconds once DePaul had conceded.  You simply don't blow the whistle and call traveling or double dribble essentially ruining the endgame when guys are heading to the handshake line.

[#UnleashSean]

https://www.google.com/amp/thebiglead.com/2017/02/05/video-st-bonaventure-lost-because-fans-stormed-the-court-too-early/amp/?client=ms-android-verizon

I'm so glad this didn't happen to us

Who court rushes because they beat VCU?

[warriorchick]

Who court rushes because they beat VCU?

Sounds like certain #donedeal declarers a few years back.

[MerrittsMustache]

https://www.google.com/amp/thebiglead.com/2017/02/05/video-st-bonaventure-lost-because-fans-stormed-the-court-too-early/amp/?client=ms-android-verizon

I'm so glad this didn't happen to us

The T was likely more because the bench players ran out on the court. If it was just the fans, it would have been interesting to see how it was handled. Regardless, any team whose students rush the court after beating unranked VCU deserves to get T'd up.

[Loose Cannon]

Who court rushes because they beat VCU?

Why do coaches and Players get "T's"

[Benny B]

This is a great example of how camera angles and editing can be deceiving.

Look at this fan video from another angle:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/e/2jQ0hq2GdcA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/e/2jQ0hq2GdcA</a>

Watch the sequence:

A) While the front and the baseline officials were waving the Bonnie's back to the bench, someone - who appears to be an usher or security - actually picked up the ball and was walking towards the TV table from the baseline waving people back. One of the VCU players realized there was time left and had to go over and rip the ball away from him, then backtracked to inbound the ball and then VCU got off a desperation heave.

B) All of the Bonnie's players/coaches who made their way onto the court had retreated by the time the ball was inbounded, with exception to the Bonnie's coach who didn't quite get off the court on time.

C) You can see the baseline official raise his hand and go to his belt (i.e. start the clock) on the inbound.  The clock starts and expires (and buzzer sounded).

D) That's when court rush begins.

Therefore....

1) The fans were certainly not at fault for storming the court.  They were completely in the right because the clock had expired and buzzer sounded before the storming began.  Any reasonable person would have thought the game was over.

2) You can't even put the blame on the Bonnie's who left the bench for the court storming.  There was enough of a gap between the time they retreated to allow the inbounds play and the time the students made their way onto the court to say it wasn't causal.

3) If the T was going to be assessed for the Bonnie's players/coaches on the court with 0.4, the baseline official should have stopped the game right there (i.e. never started the clock), but instead, it was clear by the officials hand motions that they were going to overlook that and allow the game to continue without calling a T on the bench.

So the students did nothing wrong.  But in the commotion, the VCU inbounder channeled his inner-Aaron Rodgers and inbounded the ball before the coach got to the sideline.  This got the official to start the clock.  While basketball is not as strict with the rules regarding coaches on the field of play, the coach still being on the floor (coupled with the ensuing chaos) pretty much forced the officials to call the T after going to the monitor.   

In short: if either (i) VCU waited another second to inbound (after the coach got off the court completely) or (ii) the students had not stormed the court, the Bonnie's likely get the W right there.  So while neither (i) or (ii) would have, individually, caused a T, the combination of the two did.

[Spotcheck Billy]

From ESPN.com:

According to a clarification released by the conference Sunday, there were several violations that warranted an administrative technical foul.

"The administrative technical foul was assessed for multiple reasons," the conference said "The most significant was an individual taking the game ball from the inbounding baseline [assuming time had expired] and walking down the sideline, causing the VCU player to look for the ball, and chase the individual to secure the ball for inbound. Simultaneously, one of the game officials collided with a fan on the court, prior to the inbound toss. It was after these violations that the clock expired, and the students and fans stormed the court with :00 on the clock."