Confusion Scored on the Parting Shot : Controversy: Michigan’s winning basket is upheld by replays, but final decision is delayed.

The final 9.6 seconds of UCLA’s overtime loss to Michigan Sunday might have left television viewers confused, but a review of replays and NCAA rules left no doubt that the winning shot by the Wolverines’ Jimmy King was valid.

With the score tied at 84, the ball was inboundedaa to Michigan’s Jalen Rose with 9.6 seconds remaining on the game clock and seven seconds remaining on the shot clock. Actually, the shot clock ticked to six seconds before the game clock started.

Replays showed Rose took an off-balance shot as the shot clock, which does not show tenths of a second, ticked down to one second. At that time, there were still 4.5 seconds left on the game clock.

Rose’s shot hit high on the backboard with still one second showing on the shot clock, and it hit the front of the rim as the shot clock ran out.

King grabbed the rebound and put up a shot that went through the net with 1.9 seconds remaining in the game. The ball hit the floor with 1.2 seconds left. The Bruins’ Mitchell Butler was shown calling a timeout as the clock ran out and the confusion began.

The officials went to the scorer’s table. At first, it was not clear to viewers what the problem was. Announcers Greg Gumbel and Digger Phelps could only speculate. Maybe there was a question about how much time was remaining when the Bruins called time out?

Eventually, 1.5 seconds was put back on the clock, but not before a delay of nearly five minutes.

During the delay, officials discussed whether the shot clock had run out before Rose got off his shot.

Phelps at one point correctly told viewers that it was a legal shot as long as it left Rose’s hand before the shot clock expired.

Rule 4, section 32 of the 1993 “Men’s and Women’s Rules and Interpretations” states:

“A shot-clock try for a field goal is defined as the ball having left the player’s hand (or hands) prior to the sounding of the shot-clock horn and subsequently striking the basket ring or entering the basket.”

But viewers could not immediately tell that Rose’s shot was off in time because it took CBS about six minutes to air a replay that showed the shot clock.

This replay showed that Rose got the shot off at least a full second before the shot clock expired.

The shot clock was in the live coverage of the final 9.6 seconds of the game, but the first replay about a minute after King’s shot was a ground-level angle with no shot clock.

Another replay, 1:30 after King’s winning shot, also did not show the shot clock, only the game clock.

And a third replay, 2:45 later, also lacked the shot clock.

Finally, after play resumed and UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon missed a desperation shot and the game ended, CBS showed the replay with the shot clock.

“It took us a while to find a replay with the shot clock,” said Rick Gentile, the executive producer of CBS Sports, who was overseeing tournament coverage from New York.

“At first, we were not aware that was what was being questioned.”

After the game, referee Don Rutledge said the shot clock horn went off after Rose’s shot had bounced off the rim.

“If he releases the shot before the shot clock horn goes off, and it then subsequently hits the ring, it’s no violation,” Rutledge said. “There’s no question (Rose got the shot off in time).

“A lot of time the shot clock horn goes off in a game, and we play through that horn.”

Rutledge said the officials took the delay “to explain it and make sure we got it right.”

They did not resort to using a replay to determine if Rose’s shot got off in time because, Rutledge said, “we can use them only in a scoring and timing error.”

However, in this case, the situation seemed to involve the possibility of both.

But if the officials had asked CBS for a replay on Sunday, they initially wouldn’t have gotten one that showed the shot clock, which might have added to the confusion.

Asked if he would like to see college basketball officials have access to replays, Michigan Coach Steve Fisher said: “Yes, I would. But would it get like pro football? I mean, when can you and when can’t you (use it)?”

A CBS replay was once used to help determine a call in a 1987 regular-season game between Nevada Las Vegas and Oklahoma, and the results were less than satisfactory.

UNLV, unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time, got a basket from Gary Graham as time expired at the end of the first half.

The first replay showed Graham had gotten the shot off before time expired, but that replay didn’t show whether the shot was a two- or three-pointer. It was ruled a two-pointer, but a later replay showed clearly it was a three-pointer.

So UNLV lost a point because a poor angle was shown, and the Rebels ended up losing the game--and their No. 1 ranking--by a point.

Times staff writer Elliott Almond contributed to this story from Tucson.

Shot-Clock Rule

The following is from the 1993 NCAA Basketball Men’s and Women’s Rules and Interpretations concerning what constitutes a shot-clock try for a field goal: RULE 4, SECTION 32. A shot-clock try for a field goal is defined as the ball having left the player’s hand (or hands) prior to the sounding of the shot-clock horn and subsequently strikingthe basket ring or entering the basket.