Valparaiso faced off against Maryland on Friday afternoon in a game that ended in a controversial no-call.
Maryland played Valparaiso in the round of 64 on Friday afternoon. The game held all of the elements that make March Madness basketball great: back and forth scoring, controversial calls, and even a dramatic finish.
Maryland went toe to toe with mediocre competition all year in the Big 10 to finish second in conference play. They did have a big win over Wisconsin, who was No. 5 in the nation at the time, but didn’t do much for the rest of the year. The Big 10 just didn’t have the great competition like it did in years past, so Maryland took advantage and cruised to a No. 4 seed and faced off against Valparaiso.
Valpo had a decent season in the Horizon league landing them a No. 13 seed and pitting them against Maryland. The Crusader’s returned to the NCAA tournament this year after a one year hiatus.
Despite playing in a less-competitive conference, Valpo was a favorite in brackets to upset Maryland. The line for the game was -5, the smallest margin among No. 4 vs. No. 12 seed matchups. The stage was set, and it all seemed like an upset was eminent.
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Even as the game proceeded, Maryland couldn’t get rid of the Crusaders. As the game started to come down to the wire Maryland retained possession and Valpo was down by 3 points with 45 seconds remaining. Instead of call for a foul and attempt to extend the game by stopping the clock and forcing Maryland to make free throws, Coach Bryce Drew instructed his team to play strong man-to-man defense and force a stop.
After Valpo forward, Vashil Fernandez grabbed a defensive rebound after a forced shot attempt by Maryland guard Dez Wells, Valpo had one more chance to make some magic happen in March Madness.
But unfortunately, the game ended in a controversial no foul call on a three point attempt in the corner by Keith Carter. And then the ball appeared to land out of bounds, which would have meant Valpo would have had another chance to end the game.
But the refs kept the whistles silent and Maryland came out victorious.
It all seemed like Valpo would finally expose the Terraphins and pull off the upset, until the ref’s took the game into their own hands and sent Valparaiso home earlier than they would have wanted. But not everyone can be perfect, not even the refs. Missed calls are just another aspect at what makes March Madness so exciting, which is exactly what the Valpo-Maryland game was.
Still, a final shot attempt by Valparaiso, if out of bounds would have been called, would have made this game that much better.
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