Officials made a controversial foul call late in No. 14 Samford’s 93-89 loss to No. 3 Kansas that angered fans and prevented a potential NCAA tournament first-round upset.
Samford’s A.J. Stanton-McCray made a game-saving block on Kansas’ Nicolas Timberlake’s dunk attempt with five seconds to play. He kept the ball in play by rejecting the shot off the glass.
Trailing by one point, the Bulldogs would have had one more opportunity to go for the win on the other end. Instead, the incorrect whistle allowed Timberlake to sink both free throws and put the Jayhawks up by three.
Replays showed a clean block. The Samford guard got all ball. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs had their third March Madness appearance in program history end prematurely.
Fans blasted the referees for the flagrant mishap. One fan, @NFTThursdays, called the officiating “poor.”
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Samford was robbed. Kansas advances only because of poor officiating.
— David (@NFTthursdays) March 22, 2024
Another fan, Chase Daniel, also took to X to adamantly declare that the block was “all ball.”
Samford was called for a foul…COME ON! This was ALL BALL pic.twitter.com/s01ifkrh53
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) March 22, 2024
The block was one of the most electrifying plays in first round action. It also would’ve allowed Samford to become the 24th No. 14 seed to upset a No. 3 seed in tournament history.
Samford will now look towards next season as they deal with the heartbreaking loss. Kansas will move on to face No. 5 Gonzaga in the round of 32 on Saturday.