Alabama lost a critical possession in the final minutes of regulation in their game against UCLA in the Sweet 16 on Sunday due to an odd reason.
The Crimson Tide were leading the Bruins 61-60 in their East Regional semifinal game of the NCAA Tournament with just under two minutes left. Bama had possession and they were trying to add to their lead.
John Petty Jr. had the ball and was trying to make a move, but the ball went off Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s foot and out of bounds. However, a replay showed the ball tipped Petty’s shorts before going out of bounds.
Did it graze John Petty's shorts? pic.twitter.com/onJaUVYjwS
— Patrick Greenfield (@PCGreenfield) March 29, 2021
The officials broke down the instant replay and decided to give the ball to UCLA.
Even if a replay showed it barely trickled off Petty’s shorts, to me, that is not within the spirit of replay. The ball didn’t change direction. It was really changed by Jaquez. This is an overuse of replay, similar to in baseball when they call a baserunner out whose foot comes off the base for a millisecond as they pop up after a slide.
Alabama ended up needing a miracle 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 65 and send it to overtime (video here).
Maybe this will lead Nate Oats to enforce a rule among his players where they wear tighter-fitting clothing.
