A foul that would have sent Duke freshman Kyle Filipowski to the free-throw line at the end of regulation with the score tied was overturned, sending the game into overtime and an eventual 69-62 win by eighth-ranked Virginia.
The setting: the game was tied at 58 with 1.2 seconds left. Filipowski drove to the basket on the inbounds and was met strongly by two Virginia defenders at the rim. A foul was called on Reece Beekman before officials determined that there was no foul on the play, sending the game into overtime.
In the postgame press conference, Duke coach Jon Scheyer, who was about 15 minutes late entering the media room, said he just wanted some clarity on the decision.
At worst, Filipowski and his Duke teammates thought he would be standing at the free-throw line, with under a second left and a chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against UVA.
Instead, game officials huddled at the scorer’s table, looked at the replay and decided that this wasn’t what happened and sent the game into overtime.
Scheyer opened by saying the officials “told me, after the fact, that the call was made after the buzzer. And you can see the ball left his hands before point-zero. So, I don’t know exactly what the rule is. You know, I would like to get some clarification.”
How that play unfolded with 1.2 seconds remaining is a bit puzzling.
Filipowski received the inbounds pass after the officials missed an apparent, and to some obvious, five-second violation on the pass, just inside the foul line extended.
Without a dribble, Filipowski went strong to the basket, taking not one but two full, running steps to the rim, where he met Beekman as the game clock struck 0.0
After looking at the replay, officials determined that no foul occurred.
Scheyer questioned how a call could be taken away.
“I don’t know how a call can be taken away,” Scheyer said. “I would just like some clarity. I hate it for our guys.”
Seems like the consensus among the Duke media contingent was that an atrocity like that would have never happened if the former Duke coach, You-Know-Who, was standing on the sidelines.
“That horrendous call would never have happened,” I overheard.
And they’re right.
Saturday, instead of letting a Hall of Fame coach bully them into ending the game on a bad call, the officials worked to get it right.
A great deal was on the line for the Blue Devils, who with the loss have now suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season.
Coming off a 22-poit defeat at the hands of Miami on Monday, Duke slipped to a dismal 2-6 on the road and a full three games back of first place in the ACC standings with six regular-season games remaining.
Duke is closer to opening the ACC Tournament next month in Greensboro on Wednesday than winning the regular-season ACC race.
And Scheyer, in his first year in the shadow of You-Know-Who, is left to muse on, what if?
“He (Filipowski) made a big-time play getting to the basket,” Scheyer said. “There’s no doubt in my mind he’s knocking down those free throws.”
OK, but maybe not.
Filipowski was scoreless on the day, 0-of-5 from the floor, with five turnovers, so he may not have been overflowing with confidence.
But the fact there was free bacon on the line had he missed both free throws would have sent the game into OT anyway.
So, the UVA student section went home hungry.
No one cared.
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