We Have Only Two Questions Left On This UCLA Situation

1) How many more favors are you going to get in this tournament?

First, you got in the tournament at all.

Second, the committee saw fit to place four at-large teams beneath you (so you didn't have to play Tuesday or Wednesday).

Now, we get an almost-certain gift (to which the only question is the second) in your first game today.

I'm grabbing both the GIF and a relevant picture from the Deadspin article, but you need the see this and then I'll ask the second question, which both me and my friend have been asking since we've seen this:

The GIF:



The situation is that UCLA is down two with about 15 seconds to go.  Watch the video at the linked article.

A desperation 3 is heaved up from the near side of the basket.  The better replay is the above-basket one which follows the call.

This, the rule for goaltending, as pasted on the article, is why:


All relevant sections of Article 3 indicate that the ball must have the possibility of entering the basket.

Stop the video at 22 seconds, just as the ball is being tapped, and then watch the angle again on the original GIF.

That ball was not entering the basket, and had no chance to do so.

That was NOT goaltending.

Worse yet, the call is made by THIS OFFICIAL, THIRTY-FIVE FEET from the basket...



There's a ref under the basket, there's one roughly in the line of the trajectory of the shot.

And THAT GUY makes the call.

So, now, my second question:

2) Is this incompetent officiating, or is this a blatant rig job for UCLA?

Oh, and their fourth gift already since Sunday?  They play a 14-seed in Round Three Two.