As soon as it was over, right after West Virginia had overcome a 19-point deficit on the road Saturday to beat Texas 84-82, Shaka Smart went after an official, and for good reason. He'd just designed a baseline-out-of-bounds (BLOB) play that would result in Jericho Sims getting a great look at a buzzer-beater. And even though there was a lot of grabbing and holding, and even though Sims was clearly contacted while attempting the shot, the officials swallowed their whistles and let time expire.
Game over.
So, yeah, Shaka Smart was hot -- as he should've been. And before you yell into your screen that there was only 0.3 seconds remaining when the ball was inbounded, and that, by rule, Sims was required to tip it, and that it doesn't appear that he tipped it, so the shot would not have counted anyway, let me make sure you realize that you're missing the point. Go look at the official play-by-play of the game right now. If you do, one of the last things you'll see listed is "Jericho Sims misses two-point layup." That means, according to the official record of the game, the shot counted, which means the referees declined to call an obvious foul on an official shot that happened in the game.
Would a replay have resulted in them saying the shot wasn't legal?
Maybe.
Either way, what the officials should've done in that moment was wave the shot off or call the obvious foul. I could've lived with either. But they did neither. So a controversy ensued.
Smart said the referees offered "zero explanation" to him afterward, which is another bad look. The least anybody can do in that moment is explain why a controversial ending played out the way it did. Regardless, it's a great win for West Virginia and a tough loss for Texas. Both teams remain in the top 15 of Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
Itching for more college hoops analysis? Listen below and subscribe to the Eye on College Basketball podcast where we take you beyond the hardwood with insider information and instant reactions.
Sunday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Virginia, Iowa and Kansas. The Zags have won their 13 WCC games by an average of 27.5 points. | -- | 5-0 |
| 2 |  | Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by victories over Texas, Illinois, Texas Tech and Kansas. The Bears have won 15 of their 17 games by double-digits. | -- | 4-2 |
| 3 |  | Michigan is 9-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit wins over Wisconsin and Purdue. The Wolverines' lone loss came at Minnesota. | -- | 4-1 |
| 4 |  | Ohio State is 10-1 in its past 11 games with wins over Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. The Buckeyes lead the nation with nine Quadrant 1 wins. | -- | 4-1 |
| 5 |  | Illinois is 11-5 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Illini will take a seven-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Michigan State. | -- | 4-1 |
| 6 |  | Alabama is 12-4 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Crimson Tide will take a three-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Arkansas. | -- | 4-1 |
| 7 |  | Oklahoma is 8-1 in its past nine games with wins over Alabama, West Virginia, Texas and Kansas. The Sooners have zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. | -- | 4-0 |
| 8 |  | West Virginia is 10-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Mountaineers are 4-1 in their past five games with wins over Texas, Kansas and Texas Tech. | -- | 3-1 |
| 9 |  | Villanova is 6-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Wildcats are 3-1 in their past four games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Creighton. | -- | 3-4 |
| 10 |  | Florida State is 8-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Seminoles are 8-1 in their past nine games with victories over Virginia and Louisville. | 2 | 6-1 |
| 11 |  | Iowa is 9-6 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. The Hawkeyes will take a three-game winning streak into Sunday's game with Penn State. | 3 | 5-1 |
| 12 |  | Virginia Tech is 6-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Hokies' resume is highlighted by victories over Villanova and Virginia. | 3 | 3-2 |
| 13 |  | Texas dropped to 6-6 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss to West Virginia. All six of the Longhorns' losses are Quadrant 1 defeats. | 3 | 5-1 |
| 14 |  | Houston is 2-2 in its past four games after Thursday's loss at Wichita State. The Cougars are 6-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. | 2 | 3-1 |
| 15 |  | USC dropped to 6-4 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss to Arizona. The Trojans are tied atop the Pac-12 standings with UCLA. | 4 | 5-1 |
| 16 |  | Virginia dropped to 8-4 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss at Duke. The Cavaliers will take a two-game losing streak into Wednesday's game with NC State. | 3 | 3-2 |
| 17 |  | Creighton is 6-1 in its past seven games with wins over Villanova and Seton Hall. The Bluejays are 10-1 in the first two quadrants with four additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. | -- | 4-1 |
| 18 |  | Arkansas is 7-1 in its past eight games with wins over Missouri and Florida. The Razorbacks are 8-5 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. | -- | 4-1 |
| 19 |  | Kansas is 8-7 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Jayhawks will take a five-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Texas. | 5 | 5-0 |
| 20 |  | Wisconsin is 3-5 in its past eight games after Thursday's loss to Iowa. The Buckeyes are 8-8 in the first two quadrants with only two losses outside of Quadrant 1. | -- | 7-0 |
| 21 |  | Loyola Chicago is 5-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Ramblers are 12-1 in their past 13 games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Drake. | 2 | 6-0 |
| 22 |  | Missouri is 9-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Tigers' resume is highlighted by victories over Illinois, Alabama, Arkansas, Oregon and Tennessee. | 3 | 5-1 |
| 23 |  | Oregon is 6-2 in the first two quadrants with two additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. The Ducks' top five scorers have combined to miss 20 games. | 3 | 5-0 |
| 24 |  | LSU is 6-6 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Tigers will take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Georgia. | NR | 5-1 |
| 25 |  | Tennessee dropped to 6-6 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss to Kentucky. The Vols have lost five of their past 10 games with four of the losses coming to unranked opponents. | 6 | 6-0 |
| 26 |  | Purdue is 9-7 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Boilermakers will take a two-game winning streak into Friday's game at Penn State. | NR | 5-1 |
In: LSU, Purdue
Out: Texas Tech, Louisville
