Offensive foul near the end of the Final Four matchup between Iowa and UConn. Photo Credit: ESPN
By Reice Shipley on

Friday’s highly anticipated Final Four matchup between UConn and Iowa was every bit as exciting as most fans expected. But unfortunately, fans were robbed of what could have been an all-time great finish to the game by a highly questionable call that largely decided the game.

UConn had a chance to win the game with the ball and 9.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Any kind of make would have punched their ticket to a National Championship matchup against the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks.

After the inbound, they began to set up their offensive set, which was to get star guard Paige Bueckers a look at a game-winning shot. UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards set an off-ball screen to try and free up Bueckers and was promptly called for an offensive foul to give the ball back to Iowa.

You be the judge, but it sure looks like Edwards feet were set while setting the screen. Iowa would go on to run the clock out with their final possession and secure a 71-69 victory.

Obviously, nobody truly knows what would have happened if UConn had been able to get a final shot to potentially win the game. But they were never even given the opportunity thanks to this call.

For this, many fans are claiming that UConn was “robbed” in this game by the officials.

Making this kind of call when the game hangs in the balance is obviously an incredibly bad look on the officials. The goal should be for the officials to get the calls right, but also to let the players dictate the outcome of the game near the end.

In that sense, there is a very good argument that UConn was indeed robbed.

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About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley