A clock malfunction at the end of the Iowa State-North Carolina game led to some confusion for both sides, but the referees made the correct call in ending the game.
DeAndre Kane made a bucket in traffic with about 1.6 seconds remaining to give the Cyclones an 85-83 lead over the Tar Heels. The major problem occurred after UNC inbounded the ball because the clock operator did not start the clock until at least a second after the ball was first touched by a Tar Heels player. UNC tried to call a timeout after dribbling past half court, but the question was whether there was any time left on the clock.
The referees ultimately decided that, despite the clock starting late, time had expired before the timeout was called, so they ended the game with Iowa State winning 85-83.
Our friend Andy Isaac also points out that the clock started to run late on the possession where Kane made his basket:
Yes, that clock operator was definitely drunk. And the refs, despite the confusion, made the right call.
