Seton Hall Boned By Terrible Flagrant Foul Ruling

Seton Hall was down 72-71 in the final 22 seconds of today’s game against Arkansas and had to foul to try and avoid losing, so Desi Rodriguez put his hands on Jaylen Barford to extend the game. Barford hit the floor hard, but given the situation, it didn’t seem malicious—and looked as if Barford sold it. After conferring, officials determined Rodriguez had committed a flagrant 1 foul, which meant the Razorbacks would get two free throws and keep possession.

You can overhear an official saying that Rodriguez made “no attempt to play the ball,” which is true, because his team needed to foul to not lose. Color commentator Chris Webber thought it was a terrible call:

Barford made both shots, and the Razorbacks eventually won, 77-71.

Update (4:21 p.m. Eastern): J.D. Collins, the NCAA’s coordinator of men’s basketball officiating, stands by the call because Rodriguez made no attempt to get in front of Barford.

[CBS]