A Northeast Conference referee made one of the worst calls in college basketball history during Saturday’s semifinal tournament game between Merrimack and Le Moyne. He called a shot clock violation even though the shot clock had not expired.
And, somehow, the blatantly wrong call was not reviewed. Nobody questioned anything. The game continued on as if nothing happened.
To make it all even funnier, the Warriors’ pep band was responsible. They fooled the official with the oldest trick in the book!
Le Moyne had the ball, on offense, with six seconds left on the shot clock. Merrimack’s band tried to hurry their opponents into a rushed shot by chanting “5-4-3-2-1” a few seconds ahead of reality. They reached “0” as the real time on the shot clock reached three seconds.
Even though the actual shot clock never hit zero, the NEC referee blew his whistle. He actually called a shot clock violation three seconds early, which gave the ball right back to the home team.
— – (@Spicoli_____) March 9, 2024
As funny as it is, this cannot happen. There is no reason that a band’s fake countdown should trick an official into a shot clock violation — especially during a single-elimination conference tournament. It is very obvious when a shot clock violation actually occurs. The hoop typically lights up. The clock reads zero, not three. And if that is not obvious enough, a buzzer sounds when the clock expires.
Merrimack went on to defeat LeMoyne by 10 and advanced to the NEC Tournament Final, where it will play for a bid to the NCAA Tournament. If Saturday was any indication, the pep band needs to be there. They had a direct impact on the game and helped lead the Warriors to victory!
On the flip side, the referee that called the too-early shot clock violation should probably have his college basketball season come to an end. Oops!