One of the biggest controversies from Saturday’s Kentucky-Wisconsin Final Four game came with under three minutes to go when Nigel Hayes made a layup inside after the shot clock expired.
Hayes’ layup tied the game at 60, and from there the Badgers took the lead and never gave it back. Sure, Kentucky had chances and Andrew Harrison missed a shot on the next possession while Sam Dekker made a 3-pointer to give the Badgers the lead, but in a close game like that, the smallest mistakes by officials can really change the game. This was a huge mistake by the referees, and they were unable to review the play because of the rules, which could use some amending.
Though this poor call will stand out for most as one of the biggest mistakes of the game, Kentucky also got a break when nothing was called on Trey Lyles, who smacked Josh Gasser in the face.
It’s terrible seeing officials blow calls in games of this magnitude, but our only comfort can come in thinking that at least the bad calls were balanced on both sides.
