Lazy Giant #43: What's a game without a controversial call?
It's South Carolina vs. Iowa in the WBB Championship, with a call that many are scratching their heads over.
Oh boy.
Boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.
We had a great game last night in Cleveland, Ohio (whoo!) with UConn vs. Iowa. It was everything you’d want in a huge semifinal game.
These are two programs with very different histories – UConn was appearing in their 23rd Final Four, as opposed to Iowa’s third Final Four.
One thing they both have in common: a super-star player leading the charge. Paige Bueckers for UConn and Caitlin Clark for Iowa.
For the entire game UConn put the clamps on Clark, courtesy of Nika Mühl. Man, she made life very hard for Clark. I mean she was guarding her the length of the court every possession.
Head coach Geno Auriemma, Mühl, and their defensive game plan put Kim Mulkey and LSU’s to shame – who lost in the Elite Eight to Iowa and allowed Clark to score 41 points on nine 3-pointers.
Clark finished this game with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists on 7/18 from the field and 3/11 from the 3-point line. Not on par with the ridiculous scoring we’re used to from her. But her teammates stepped up when she couldn’t get it done offensively.
Hannah Stuelke scored 23 points, Kate Martin had 11 points and eight rebounds, scoring some clutch baskets when Iowa needed them at the end of the game. Gabbie Marshall hit a couple big baskets at the end.
But I’ve intentionally buried the lead here. Of course, everyone is going to be talking about one call from this game: an illegal screen on UConn with 3.9 seconds remaining. You can see it in real time here.
After the game, I was curious to see what the internet was saying about this. Most people were saying something to the effect of, “Ref, that’s awful. You can’t make that call.”
I ask: why not?
I don’t have a dog in the fight, but if you ask me, Aaliyah Edwards for UConn was moving when she set the screen. So, it’s the correct call. Now, we can have an entirely different argument over whether a ref should swallow their whistle and not make a game-deciding call on the last possession of a game. Especially when it’s off the ball.
The beauty, and ugliness, of sports is that this is inevitable. Refs have been making or not making calls like this in crucial moments of games for a long time and will continue to do so.
Just two Super Bowls ago the referees called holding on the Eagles with the Chiefs driving and running the clock out. If you know what I’m talking about, I say “holding” loosely. This massively benefited the Chiefs and led to a game-winning field goal with only seconds left on the clock.
In the 2018 NFC Championship game, the Rams clearly should have been called for pass interference, like I’m talking one of the most blatant missed calls in history. Yet, the Saints didn’t get that call, and end up losing.
So, if you want to, disagree with me. But Edwards moving while setting that screen seems clear to me. This call was somewhere in-between the ticky-tack holding call in the Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl and the blatant missed pass interference in the Saints-Rams game. It was a foul – which was why I was so shocked many people were saying that’s not a foul, or it shouldn’t have been called.
However, I do applaud UConn’s Bueckers for showing maturity when talking in the press conference after the game.
But, it’s not like UConn didn’t have another chance to tie or win the game after this call. They fouled Clark as soon as Iowa inbounded the ball and with UConn possessing one more timeout, they could get the ball back with roughly three seconds left and down three on their half of the court after Clark finished her two free throws.
Except, Clark threw a wrench in UConn’s plans and missed the second free throw long. Iowa grabbed the offensive rebound. Game over.
I’ll say this: it’s not how you want the game to end. You always want to see how the players can create a special moment; potentially have UConn find a decent shot for Bueckers. Refs inserting themselves is never the answer anyone wants. But, here we are.
Props to UConn on a good game, and like always, they’ll be back. Bueckers is returning next year and the team will return a few players who were out for the season because of injuries.
For Clark and Iowa, their reward is facing a scary-good, undefeated South Carolina team in the championship game. It’s not impossible, but it will be their biggest challenge yet.
Now, Tweets
This game was close last night until it wasn’t:
And that’s all she wrote! Byeeeee.