The officiating was, unfortunately, on center stage during Sunday’s second round game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Iowa Hawkeyes.
The Hawkeyes had trailed by as much as 25 in the first half, but had stormed back to get within three of the Volunteers. They got a bit of help down the stretch from one of the more questionable big foul calls of the tournament, as Tennessee guard Lamonte Turner was called for a foul on Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon on a three-point attempt despite appearing to get all ball.
Foul #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/IRKep3JG9V
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 24, 2019
This looked like a clean block, but it ultimately allowed Iowa to tie the game at 67 with the three ensuing free throws. It was a mess from the moment the whistle blew, as it was not called a foul by the official closest to the action. Even CBS’s rules analyst, Gene Steratore, admitted that it was a bad call.
The call ended up looming large, as Iowa managed to tie it up again and take the game to overtime. Those three points made a massive difference.
