Musburger Says His Call of Las Vegas Game Was the Correct One

CBS sportscaster Brent Musburger, caught in the middle of a controversial call that cost Nevada Las Vegas a point at halftime of its 89-88 loss to Oklahoma Saturday, said Monday he did nothing wrong.

“I was right when I said the replay was inconclusive, but you never said that in your story,” he said, responding to a story in Sunday’s Times.

“You implied I was anti-Vegas and that I cost them the game,” Musburger said.

The play in question involved a shot by Las Vegas’ Gary Graham right before the half ended. An air-horn blast that came from the stands had caused an official to signal that play was over when actually it wasn’t.

In an unusual move, the head official came over to the sideline to watch the television replay to see if there was any time left.

The official borrowed commentator Billy Packer’s headset and watched the replay several times.

Television viewers then heard a voice saying: “We also want to determine if the shot was two or three points.”

Said Musburger: “What you didn’t know was that another official was the one who said they also wanted to determine if the shot was a two- or three-pointer.

“Also, I was not the one who initiated the comment that the replay was inconclusive. The second official standing behind me was the first to say that the replay is inconclusive. . . . I just repeated his comment.”

It was then that the head official ruled the shot a two-pointer and left for the locker room. But right after that, a replay from another angle showed conclusively the shot was, indeed, a three-pointer.

Packer, on the phone from New York Monday, said: “Even if the officials had ruled it a three-pointer, they would have had to change it because you can’t make a ruling on a judgment call from a television replay.

“They would have gone into the locker room, realized their mistake and changed the call.

“As things were, I went into the locker room myself to tell the officials about the second replay and what it showed.

“But they said the call had already been made.”

Musburger disagreed with Packer Monday. “Without a shadow of a doubt, they should have given Vegas the three points,” he said.

“When they went as far as they did, they should have gone one step farther and made the right call.

“You failed to mention in your story that during the second half I said that on the air.”

Packer pointed out during the game telecast that a replay showed an official had actually signaled that the shot was a three-pointer.

Packer Monday said that official was the one from the PCAA (Norm Borucki).

Why didn’t that official come forward?

“I think what he said was that he wasn’t signaling for a three-pointer,” Packer said.