The final seconds of the Iowa vs. UConn was a masterclass in basketball's proclivity for chaotic endings. The Hawkeyes looked to have a wrap with a minute to go, but the Huskies drained clutch shots, Caitlin Clark missed a free throw and a half-court turnover nearly gave UConn the chance to steal the victory.
The cliche "a tale of two halves" is applicable to both teams, but a massive reason for Iowa's victory was their aggression in the second half to force UConn into unfavorable positions in the personal foul column of the box score.
With only seven realistic options to take the floor, UConn could not afford to find themselves in foul trouble late, but that's exactly what they did. UConn finished with twice as many fouls as Iowa with 18 total. Eleven of them came in the second half.
Fittingly as such, the Hawkeyes punched their ticket to the national championship on a Husky foul.
As the Huskies made desings for a go-ahead shot with four seconds remaining, Husky head coach Geno Auriemma drew up a screen off Aaliyah Edwards to get the ball to Paige Buekers behind the arc. Edwards leaned into Gabbie Marshall and was called for an offensive foul, effectively ending the game.
This is a textbook moving screen
— Future Of The Retro (@TraeK_) April 6, 2024
It just sucks cause it was 3 seconds left https://t.co/LZdZ5WI0Yc pic.twitter.com/GpQcSbFS1p
While Iowa fans celebrated, social media exploded with the wrong question - "Was that a foul?"
All things being equal, the broadcast replays didn't show the best angles, which could lead some to believe that the foul wasn't called properly. After all, there were some botched calls in the game and UConn was racking up fouls in the second half. Tack on the screeching voices of conspiracy theorists that sports are rigged, and you've got a formula for social media outrage.
However, upon further review, those posts were baseless. Truthfully, this is a trend that is becoming too common in sports. As the tweet above put it, there's a big difference between a bad call and not liking a call.
Remember in the NFL when Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were so upset about the Kadarius Toney offsides penalty last season because it wiped away an incredible moment? This is no different, except for the fact that Buekers didn't get the chance to make the shot.
The rules exist for a reason, fans. They don't just go away because the moment would be so much sweeter without them.
No one wants to see a game end this way, even the Iowa faithful. They don't have to say it, but many competitors would agree that they would have preferred Buekers gotten the shot off and let the ball fall where it may rather than an official blow their whistle.
But that's not what happened. No amount of whining will ever change that. That's how sports work. The game featured 39 minutes and 56 seconds of action in which UConn had every opportunity to win. The Huskies played a hell of a game, and they lost. They lost because they fouled too much in the second half and they fouled when it mattered most.
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