So now I understand what it's like to be a LA Rams fan.
The refs in the UVA game had mostly swallowed their whistles for the whole game, calling few fouls and letting a lot of contact go. And then those last 6 seconds. Yes, Jerome was grabbed before the double dribble, but again, the refs had been letting a lot go. The double dribble was clear. I was watching with several UVA fans, though only 1 of us noticed the double dribble live. So I can see how the refs missed it, but they absolutely missed it. As for the foul on Guy, yes, it was a foul that should be called in the 1st 39:50 of a game. But to me, it wasn't enough contact to call the foul in the last second of the game, especially considering how loosely the refs had officiated the game before that. (I'm a believer in not calling a foul in the last 10 seconds unless it's pretty obvious.) To a person, every UVA fan with whom I was watching the game believed Auburn was hosed. I've often accused UVA fans at games of being 1 of the whinier fan bases when it comes to complaining about the refs. In a 6 second span, they've lost any right to ever complain about a call again.
But I don't think we would have ever gotten to that point had Jerome not picked up his 3rd and 4th fouls in the span of like 1 minute. UVA was up I think 9 when he picked up his 4th, which was a bit ticky tack, but it wasn't a smart challenge when you have 3, and I think it was a frustration foul because he thought he had been fouled right before that. He's got to be smarter in that situation. Bennett was right to get him out of there, but he left him on the bench too long. He's their facilitator on offense and is normally the 1 with the ball in his hands late in the shot clock, and they became absolutely stagnant on offense when he went out.
And eff that Auburn kid for the Lefty Driesell signature choke move when Guy was on the line. I have a nephew at Auburn and will root for Auburn in football against the rest of the SEC, but I can't root for any team coached by Pearl.
As for Monday, take the 1.5 points and bet on TT. UVA, Michigan and MSU are all great defensive teams. But TT has been even better than those 3 teams in this tournament. I can't remotely root for a Knight protege, but I think they're taking UVA down on Monday.