Texas Tech basketball: 5 signs you are not over National Title Game loss
You want to punch all referees
No sports fan likes referees. At times, every fan base has felt like it has been screwed by terrible officiating. But Texas Tech fans hatred of refs has gone to another level after the way the title game was called.
Despite the fact that Virginia’s offense was heavily slanted towards the jump-shot, they somehow went to the free throw line eight more times than the Red Raiders leading to a 20-15 advantage in scoring at the foul line. Now, it must be noted that some of this advantage was a result of Tech’s intentional fouling in the final minutes of the game as the Red Raiders tried to extend the game.
But the bigger issue is the massive mistakes that went against Tech all night. I never like to be the one that blames a loss on officiating. And certainly, in this game, Tech made a number of mistakes in the final minutes that led to their loss.
However, in the most critical moments of the season, these teams deserved the best possible officiating and they did not receive that. And in a game between teams that were so evenly-matched, the blown calls gave UVA an insurmountable advantage.
Of course, everyone remembers the reversed call on the out-of-bounds that proved to be the defining moment of this tournament. But while everyone focuses on whether or not the ball should have stayed with Tech, let’s not forget the fact that Davide Moretti was fouled twice on that play including being struck in the gonads by Kyle Guy as both scrambled for the ball.
Additionally, Tech was somehow called for a foul on this play when Kyle Guy tripped over his own teammate. With Tech leading by three points in OT, the Red Raiders should have had the ball but instead, Guy was awarded two free throws.
Look, we all hate refs. And Texas Tech fans certainly hate their share of Big 12 officials (especially football referee Mike DeFee). But to have such blatant and costly mistakes go against your team in the most critical of moments is enough to keep fans from being able to properly move through the stages of grief in a healthy fashion.
If you are like me, you are still stuck in the anger stage of grief and you may not move on for some time. That’s because every time you see a referee, you are taken right back to that dark place where the incompetence of the officials may have cost the Red Raiders a national title.