Coach Mike Krzyzewski was disappointed with the referees at halftime of the national championship game on Monday, and it was Bo Ryan who was really upset with the officials after the game.
Ryan was interviewed by CBS’ Tracy Wolfson after his team lost 68-63 to Duke in the title game and did not waste any time indirectly complaining about the refs.
“It was just a situation where you just have to be able to handle all the hands and the checking,” Ryan said as he complained about the physical level the officials allowed. “There was more body contact in this game than any game we’ve played all year, and I just feel sorry for my guys that a game was like that. They’re struggling with that. We missed some opportunities, they hit some tough shots, but it’s just a shame that it had to be played that way.”
It wasn’t just the physical play that was an issue; the referees blatantly and badly missed calls late in the game. When you have a one-possession game and then the officials rob Wisconsin of possessions twice in three minutes, it makes it hard to overcome. Those kinds of calls can make all the difference between two evenly-matched teams.
However, you can look at the other side with the fouls being called early on Duke’s bigs. Plus, would Wisconsin have even reached the championship game if they hadn’t benefited from a controversial call against Kentucky? Maybe someone should show Ryan that replay and remind him it can go both ways.
