Sports

Sad Duke Radio Host Begged Referees For Bail Out After Cayden Boozer Ignored Jon Scheyer

#Duke Blue Devils
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The Duke basketball team lost an Elite Eight matchup vs. UCONN on Sunday night in Washington DC. Its season ended in dramatic fashion.

The Blue Devils watched the Huskies erase a 17-point second half deficit. The comeback was completed just before the final buzzer following a Cayden Boozer turnover.

The host of the Duke radio call believed referees should’ve intervened in the final second to give the Blue Devils one last shot at the win. That broadcast is now going viral on social media.

Duke basketball choked away a Final Four appearance.

The team led by as many as 19 in the first half. It took a 15-point lead into the break. It then made history with a sloppy final 20 minutes.

The Blue Devils were outscored 44-28 in the second half. They committed eight of their 13 turnovers after halftime. The last was the costliest.

Leading by two with 10 seconds left to play, all Duke needed to do was get fouled to put the game on ice with free throws. Instead, Cayden Boozer attempted to move the ball downcourt. It resulted in a tipped pass, steal, and game-winning shot.

Jon Scheyer spoke on the final play after the loss. He said the plan was to either get fouled or call timeout. Neither happened.

“We just have to secure it,” he said in the postgame presser. “We got it. They had to foul. I was ready for a timeout. We just gotta hold on.”

His reaction to the play said it all.

Boozer did not stick to the plan. It backfired.

Braylon Mullins hit a go-ahead three with 0.3 seconds remaining on the clock. UCONN players celebrated both on the court and the bench. Was it excessive?

Duke’s radio hosts believed a technical foul was warranted.

Officials did not grant the Blue Devils’ wish.

The call noted players running off the bench and onto the court for a brief moment after the game-winner.

The NCAA rulebook addresses these late game situations. A technical foul can be called on players and coaches for entering the court during live play.

A technical foul shall be assessed to a coach and/or all bench personnel for…

Delaying the game by preventing the ball from being promptly made live or by preventing continuous play, such as bench personnel entering the playing court before player activity has been terminated. In such a case, when the delay does not interfere with play, it shall be ignored.

-NCAA Rule 10 / Section 4 / Art. 2g

We saw a similar scenario play out in a First Four contest between Texas and NC State. A Longhorns coach ran onto the floor after a buzzer beating shot.

Neither instance resulted in a technical, however. Play was not delayed. It is a judgement call by officials.

UCONN did a good job of corralling its bench to get players back on the sidelines quickly. No one was on the court when the ball was inbounded.

This was more a case of Duke searching for a bail out after an epic collapse.