https://twitter.com/BarstoolBigCat/status/581670427111624704/
One whistle, and Vegas flipped on its head.
Utah was trailing Duke for much of the second half of their Sweet 16 matchup, but hit a few buckets at the end to get the game within five points. After a Utah miss with seven seconds left in the game, Duke’s Quinn Cook grabbed the rebound and held on to the ball, waiting for the clock to run out.
After what appeared to be a clear jump ball, Cook wrenched the ball away and started running up the court. He was then touched by a Utah player, and the refs called a foul as the buzzer sounded. Most people thought the game was over; the Utah players walked off the court, disappointed with their 5-point loss. People who had gambled on Utah, with the line either at +5 or +5.5, were delighted though with either a push or a win.
But no. The refs decided that the foul occurred while there was still time on the clock. They put 0.7 seconds back on the board, got Utah back out on the floor, and had Cook take his free throw. He missed the first, then hit the second, giving Duke a 6-point win. Gamblers everywhere lost their minds.
For people saying the refs technically did get it correct by calling the foul at 0.7 seconds, yes, they did. But Cook had already been fouled (it looked like) at about 5 seconds, and then there was a clear jump ball at 4 seconds. The refs let both of those go, making it seem like they were letting the game play out.
I mean, the last five minutes of the game had lasted long enough already.
Whether the refs got it right or wrong, the real lesson here is this: Gambling will break you.
Correction: This article originally referred to the Duke player who grabbed the rebound as Justise Winslow. It was Quinn Cook. We regret the error.
