Fans can't agree on whether Xavier deserved game-winning free throws ... you decide
Whenever Xavier and Creighton get together, you’re almost always guaranteed a nail-biter from start to finish. The teams have split their last 12 contests and neither team has won more than two games in a row during that stretch.
Saturday’s game was no different, and both teams had impressive streaks on the line. Xavier entered in on a seven-game winning streak while Creighton had won 14 straight at home dating back to last season.
The Musketeers jumped out to an early lead and led by as many as 10 points, but the Bluejays stormed back in the second half. There were five lead changes over the last 12 minutes of the game.
Creighton’s Ronnie Harrell Jr. knocked down three clutch free throws with four seconds remaining to put his team up 71-70.
Xavier was forced to go the length of the court in 4.6 seconds and Quentin Goodin did exactly as you’re taught to do in that situation — he drove to the basket.
What happened next has sparked plenty of debate.
Foul or no foul? That is the question… pic.twitter.com/y81E6HaMNC
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 10, 2018
Harrell, the man who was seemingly the hero for Creighton, was whistled for a blocking foul that sent Goodin to the line. The sophomore calmly knocked down both free throws to give Xavier a one-point lead, and eventually the victory.
By the letter of the rule book, the call would appear correct. Harrell wasn’t set when he made contact with Goodin, and if the officials deem contact from a defender knocks the shooter off his path to the basket, they’ll almost always call a foul.
Goodin certainly helped sell the call a bit, but if the same exact play and call were made during the middle of the first half, no one would likely have had a problem with it.
But you always hear about refs letting the players play in the final few seconds of the game, so Creighton fans are understandably outraged at the call.
Creighton coach Greg McDermott didn’t believe there was enough contact to warrant a called foul and was obviously upset at the way his team lost.
“It’s a really tough way (to lose) unless it’s really obvious,” McDermott said. “It stings a lot, stings a lot. In this game, you can control what you can control. We can’t control that.”
Xavier’s Goodin was asked if he expected to get the call in that situation.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen, honestly,” he said. “There was a lot of contact.”
“Every kid’s dream,” Goodin said of the game-winning free throws. “Everybody wants to be in that situation. On the road, down … and your free throws are the game winners. I don’t think it’s any better than that.”
The win for Xavier had huge ramifications for the NCAA selection committee’s bracket preview. The committee seeded the top 16 teams and the Musketeers came in with a No. 1 seed.
Is this what the 2018 Sweet 16 will look like? #BracketPreviewhttps://t.co/PxBQXWxUP0 pic.twitter.com/Rdru8SJez5
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 11, 2018
Xavier is listed as the third No. 1 seed behind the top overall seed Virginia, and then Villanova. Committee chairman Bruce Rasmussen said Xavier’s wins this week over Creighton and Butler gave them the edge over Purdue for the third No. 1 seed.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
