Former referee and fans say foul call late in KU win over Samford was wrong

Pete Grathoff
·2 min read
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Samford guard A.J. Staton-McCray (5) is called for a foul while blocking Kansas Jayhawks guard Nicolas Timberlake (25) in the second half of a first-round NCAA Tournament game on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The fourth-seeded Kansas Jayhawks held off a late charge from 13th-seeded Samford in Thursday’s NCAA Tournament, and it’s a game that is sure to be discussed for a while.

That’s because of a controversial foul call late in the Jayhawks’ 93-89 win in the MIdwest Region.i

Samford had cut the KU advantage to a single point when Nick Timberlake drove for what appeared to be an uncontested dunk. But the Bulldogs’ A.J. Staton-McCray made a tremendous play and blocked the shot.

Or so most fans thought. The referee called a foul and Timberlake made both free throws.

Here is the play.

CBS Sports rules analyst Gene Steratore, the former NFL referee and NCAA basketball official, said it was a clean block. Steratore worked as an NCAA Division I basketball official for 22 years.

“Just an unbelievable, LeBron-esque chase down block by Samford’s AJ Staton-McCray. Did not like the foul call here, this appeared to be all ball,” Steratore wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Fans on social media agreed with Steratore and vented about the call. Here is what was being said.