Calls Mount Against NCAA Officials as John Calipari’s Triumph Over Rick Pitino Gets Massive Support From College Basketball World
Saturday’s matchup between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the St. John’s Red Storm in ‘The Region of Coaches’ was a battle between two acquaintances… two acquaintances who first met 43 years ago today as Rick Pitino pushed for John Calipari to take the spot in his alma mater, UMass. Just three years down the line from there, the two would go head-to-head in their very first matchup which Pitino would win. Fast forward to Saturday, they met for the 24th time. Saturday was true March Madness.
An underdog Calipari took the lead from Pitino in a hard-fought 75-66 game. St. John’s went into Saturday’s game as heavy favorites, holding a 71.3%-win probability per On3 in its favor. But Calipari & Co. came with an answer for every move. “I know St. John’s is physical. But we’re physical, too,” he said. The No.1 defensive team in the country struggled to hang on with the largest lead of only 4 points as the Razorbacks matched strides. They could only make one of their final nine shots–Zuby Ejiofor’s dunk with 20 seconds left.
And the defense overall? There were a combined 96 rebounds, with both teams grappling for shots and second chances. Neither made more than two 3-pointers on 41 attempts. But where Arkansas capitalized on field goals at 27-63, St. John’s fell short with 21-75. If the numbers indicate anything, the game was as physical as it could get. In 15 TOs total, Arkansas led with 9. And the equal number of steals (5) and Arkansas again led in blocks with 7 compared to just 3 of St. John’s. Trailing only for a little under four minutes, the Hogs pulled up for Calipari’s 16th visit to the Sweet 16 where they will play the third-seed Texas Tech. It was fire with both teams fighting neck-in-neck but the spotlight shifted to another aspect of the sport: Officiating. Here are some facts for you to consider.
In the 40 minutes, there were 44 total fouls called. As a result, Calipari’s squad got 27 free throw attempts which they completed only 70.4% while St. John’s received went for 22 of 31 points. Physicality reigned, whistles took over, and by the final 5 minutes, 3 players across both teams had 4 fouls. But one that took notice from everyone was the flagrant 1 on Trevon Brazile.
With 6:10 minutes left in the first half, Deivon Smith went for an open three-pointer. With his miss, both Brazile and Ejiofor reached for the rebound with the Arkansas forward shoving the No. 24 away and into the hardwood. First termed as a common foul, but upon review, the referees upgraded it to a flagrant-1, qualifying it due to an excessive and/or unnecessary contact from Brazile to Ejiofor’s head and neck. The call was especially crucial since the Red Storm tied the game within two plays down the road.
Zvonimir Ivisic, the Razorbacks’ stretch 5, was fouled out of the game with a little under 12 minutes remaining and a close score of 35-32. On top of that, Arkansas’ Jonas Aidoo and St. John’s Kadary Richmond each had 4 fouls. No wonder, John Calipari was getting visibly heated with the officials.
For some, these snubs would not matter in the end. After all, John Calipari’s team did secure the win! However, it still did not stop the NCAA community from highlighting their displeasure.
