The ACC reviewed a number of calls from the Duke-Boston College game Wednesday night, including the final drive by the Eagles' Tyrese Rice in Duke's 83-81 victory at Conte Forum.
ACC coordinator of officials John Clougherty said he spoke with Boston College coach Al Skinner, but he wouldn't say what he said to Skinner regarding whether the correct call was made on Rice's drive with nine seconds remaining. Clougherty declined to comment on whether he also spoke with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
With the Eagles down by three, Rice drove on Duke's Shelden Williams. Contact occurred but no call was made. Skinner thought a foul should have been called. So did Rice.
"We looked at that play, replayed it, replayed it," Clougherty said.
And?
He wouldn't say.
"I visited at length with the officials after the game," Clougherty said.
And??????
"I tell all of our referees whether we make [the call] or don't make [it], we have to be as accurate as we can be [on those last plays]," Clougherty said. "We don't get another chance after the last play. BC doesn't get another chance after that last play. Whether we blow the whistle or not on that last play, we have to be accurate. Whether it's that game or the Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech game the day before [which was decided on an over-the-back call on the Yellow Jackets, negating a basket], we have to be accurate. That was a game-ending call."
Virginia Tech won the game at the other end on Deron Washington's free throw with five-tenths of a second left.
"I'm not saying either call was right or wrong, but we have to be right on those calls," Clougherty said. "We don't have time to recover. BC would have gone to the line with a chance to go down by one."
Clougherty said he understands why BC was upset over the free-throw situation because of the discrepancy (37 attempts to 13), but he said that reaction is natural when you look at the stat sheet.
Andy Katz
