CBS Sports rule expert Gene Steratore breaks down controversial foul in Creighton vs San Diego State

Creighton and San Diego State’s matchup came down to the final seconds, when a controversial foul put the Aztecs on the foul line. The Aztecs had the ball for the final shot with the game tied at 56-56, and Darrion Trammell got a good look from just above the free throw line. His shot missed the mark, but a foul was called on Creighton for making contact with his hip.

The game’s final score came at the free throw line as a result, and the Aztecs reached their first Final Four appearance in school history.

San Diego State heads to the line in a tie game with 1.2 remaining 😮#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/zRP3Hc2KGu

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2023

Gene Steratore breaks down late Creighton foul

CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore spoke during the broadcast about why the foul was called in the first place, and went on to explain the finer details of what officials are doing at the video monitor while reviewing calls like the one on Sunday.

“In these situations, what they’ll do is review back and look when the contact was initiated,” explained Steratore during the review. “As Jimmy said, I think he’s right, it’s the left hand on the hip [that was called a foul]. So really when that contact basically starts to occur… once a restriction or a foul has been decided upon, that’s when they’ll go back. My early look on that looks to be about 1.2 seconds.”

Right on cue with the television feed, the officials signaled to put 1.2 seconds on the clock as they finished their review. Trammell scored one of this two free throw attempts and put San Diego State up by one point, giving the Bluejays one last chance to score and steal the game.

The Bluejays inbound pass travelled the length of the court, being tipped by players from both teams before falling out of bounds. The officials were forced to make another tough replay decision as they attempted to determine who touched the ball last — and whether or not there was any time remaining after the play.

Ultimately, the officials declared that possession didn’t matter on the call as the ruled the clock had hit zero before the ball was officially out of bounds. With the win, San Diego State reached the Final Four for the first time in program history — denying Creighton a chance to say the same thing.

After the game, Steratore joined the analyst desk to once again explain the officials’ decision on the final replay. According to Steratore, the officials saw that the clock operator did not begin the clock right at the moment of contact with the ball — leading them to use a stopwatch and manually time the play while watching the replay. The result was that the 1.2 seconds had elapsed fully and any discussion of possession did not matter at that point.