Did West Virginia get screwed by refs in March Madness loss to Maryland?

It sure looked like the referees screwed the West Virginia Mountaineers out of possible win over the Maryland Terrapins in March Madness.

In a day of high definition, 4K, and 75-inch televisions, it seems that the referees in the NCAA Tournament still can’t get things right. A crucial call in the game pitting the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Maryland Terrapins did no go WVU’s way this afternoon.

In what was a physical, hard-nosed contest between two well-coached teams, the game came down to a missed call with under a minute left to go. And even after an official review, the refs still got the call incorrect.

Did West Virginia get screwed by refs in March Madness loss to Maryland?

With under a minute left in the contest between the No. 8 seed Maryland Terrapins and the No. 9 seed West Virginia Mountaineers, a drive to the basket by Maryland ended up with the ball out of bounds. The referees initial decision was that the ball should stay with the Terps.

But, of course, being under a minute, the refs were sure to go the monitor. Every single viewable angle at home showed the ball ricochet off a West Virginia player, but the Maryland player’s momentum caused him to touch the ball last.

Anybody could have seen that the ball should have gone back to the West Virginia Mountaineers who, at the time, were trailing by just three points. But after what seemed like a 25-minute delay, the referees final discerned that there was no refutable evidence and stuck with their original call.

It was painfully obvious that West Virginia was screwed. However, despite the fact that they lost what should have been a clear possession, the Mountaineers still had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Kedrian Johnson’s heave at the last second didn’t find the bucket.

The West Virginia Mountaineers and Maryland Terrapins opened March Madness with a thrilling contest. Too bad it’ll be marred by terrible officiating.