Final Four: Virginia’s Ty Jerome didn’t think the officials would call a double-dribble violation
The Cavaliers guard felt that since the officials missed a foul call on the Tigers' Bryce Brown right before he double dribbled, they wouldn't call the violation against him.
MINNEAPOLIS – That part of the national college basketball audience not pulling for Virginia was furious. Dick Vitale called it “absurd” on ESPN. CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said the officials missed it.
It was the call that wasn’t, Ty Jerome’s double dribble Saturday night after Auburn’s Bryce Brown briefly grabbed his jersey in what looked like a successful attempt to foul him. That wasn’t called, either.
In a CBS Sports tweet, Steratore, a former college basketball official, explained: “As Ty Jerome brings the ball up the court, he accidentally bumps the ball off his back foot. He then re-possesses this ball with both hands. That ends his dribble.”
But Jerome dribbled the ball again, a violation, and was fouled by Brown with 1.5 seconds to play. The ensuing inbounds pass from Jerome to Kyle Guy resulted in a foul against Auburn’s Samir Doughty, and Guy hit three free throws with 0.6 seconds left to give Virginia a 63-62 win and a spot in the national championship game.
Jerome, the Cavaliers’ junior guard, said Sunday he didn’t think the officials would call it.
“They were trying to foul on purpose and before I lost the ball, the kid grabbed my jersey,” Jerome said. “The refs didn’t call that and I felt it so I knew they weren’t going to call a double dribble if they let that one go right in front of them.
“It’s hard to be a ref. I can’t imagine being a ref because players aren’t perfect, refs aren’t perfect. So they miss a lot. It happens. You have to play on.”
Social media and message boards lit up with the violation. Jerome said many people have sent him social media posts “so I’ve got a bunch of pictures of the kid grabbing my jersey before I lost the ball.”