39 fouls were called prior to the final five minutes of Saturday’s college basketball game between Arkansas and St. John’s in the Round of 32 of March Madness. A large number of the foul calls were correct. Some of them could go either way.
One thing is for certain, however. The fifth foul called on Red Storm star Kadary Richmond was bogus and everybody on both sides of the aisle would agree.
Richmond, a fifth-year senior, began his college basketball career at Syracuse. He later transferred to Seton Hall and then St. John’s. There is an argument to be made that the 6-foot-6 point guard is the best player at his position in the entire country.
And yet, the Red Storm was forced to play without him for more than six minutes on Saturday.
It should be noted that both programs play an extremely physical brand of basketball. They took the majority of their shots by attacking each other at the rim, which led to a large number of legitimate fouls. Not every foul was controversial. Not every whistle was unnecessary.
With that being said, the biggest storyline to come from a game involving Rick Pitino and John Calipari was the officials. That’s a real shame.
Rick Pitino and John Calipari pic.twitter.com/8Pmz8nwMNA
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) March 22, 2025
The two teams combined for 44 total fouls during the Razorbacks’ nine-point win. No foul was more controversial than the one on Richmond. He fouled out of the game on what appeared to be a great defensive play. The official who called the foul was extremely far away from the play. It was also late.
kadary richmond's 5th foul; arkansas vs st. john's; #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/5iQQ9rkHrO
— ◇ (@H00DH3R0) March 22, 2025
There was no possible way for Kadary Richmond to better contest the shot. His body was completely vertical. At no point did it break. Straight up, straight down.
And yet, the referee standing by Calipari at the sideline — at least four feet beyond the three-point line — decided to call a foul. This guy:
How did he even see the foul?!
If the distance was not bad enough, it took the official way too long to call the foul. The Arkansas player who took the shot and was supposedly fouled by Kadary Richmond was already getting back on defense. He had moved on. Every other player on the court had moved on.
And yet, the referee standing by Calipari at the sideline still decided to call a foul.
Although one single play and/or call does not impact the outcome of a 40-minute contest, the bogus foul on Richmond changed the entire course of action for St. John’s. Even if he is not scoring, he is the Red Storm’s most important creator. They played six minutes of an NCAA Tournament game without him. Brutal.