Kyle Guy on Free Throws: “A Kids Dream Come True”

Virginia Cavaliers reached the NCAA finals, after defeating Auburn Tigers last night in Minneapolis, 63-62. Tony Bennett will finally have the chance to prove his worth and win the national championship.

But this game isn’t going to be about their win, as much as about the controversy surrounding the foul called on Kyle Guy in the last moments of the contest.

The referees sounded with 0.6 seconds to go and gave Guy three free throws. Cavs’ guard was fouled while trying to make a three-pointer from the corner and bring the lead to his team.

Now in those moments, the Tigers fans began celebrating and didn’t hear the refs, who saw Samir Doughty having contact with Guy with his torso. To be honest, we ourselves are not sure whether that was a foul. That will be resolved over the next few weeks when experts and the analysists make a thorough investigation.

“I didn’t feel no contact. I didn’t think I fouled him, but … the refs thought otherwise,” Doughty said, adding that he believes the referees, but that he will take another look at the situation, and see for himself.

On the other side, Guy has a totally different opinion. The fact that the foul was called in the last second was what made him so controversial, he said.

“Anytime a whistle’s blowing in the last 10 seconds of a game, there’s going to be controversy no matter what, because sometimes they’ll let it go, sometimes they don’t,” Guy told during the interview in front of the locker room.

What most of the people forget is that even if the call wasn’t good, the 21-year old still had to make all three free throws, which is a huge success. With the pressure surrounding him, the fact that his whole team struggled from the line, and with Bruce Pearl’s timeout between his second and third attempt, he MADE them.

Now that is something which needs to be credited no matter what. The mistake of the referees, if there was one, shouldn’t diminish his excellent performance. Guy’s concentration and his calmness are indicating that he has the potential to be a great player, and what supports that claim is the next thing.

Most of the players who would find themselves in his position would be scared. Just imagine, tens of thousands of people around you screaming and going wild. For Kyle Guy, this was a wish come true. Every player wants to be the one who solves the game. But when that opportunity comes, many lose their composure and choke.

Not in this case. Not Guy.

“This is the stuff that kids dream of, and I’m just very thankful to be here.”

Three free throw attempts, three hits, and the situation completely changed in Minneapolis. Tigers’ fans went from delirium to despair.

It is a pity that a game like this one will be remembered because of the officials, and it will be, that is a fact. They didn’t keep the foul criteria consistent, and Bruce Pearl talked about after the game. The emotional coach was very disappointed with the way things developed on the floor.

“If that’s a foul, call it,” Pearl said. “Call it at the beginning of the game, call it in the middle of the game, call it at the end of the game. Don’t call it any more or less at any other time during the game.”

The controversial foul is not the only situation when they might have made a mistake. During a possession before that, Ty Jerome made a double-dribbling violation, and that wasn’t called.

It only increased the tension on and off the court. After the game ended, the police had to react to preserve the order. Tigers’ fans were very angry, and they had a right to be.

The officials ran towards the tunnel, and left the court, leaving all the chaos behind them. They even had a police escort in front of the building.

Auburn’s fans cried, Virginia’s celebrated. And another episode of the March Madness concluded. But now comes the biggest one this season. The finals in which Cavaliers play against Texas Tech on Monday.

We truly hope that only basketball will be in the focus of that one.