College basketball notes: NCAA says officials made mistake in Syracuse’s win over Gonzaga

For Gonzaga, the timing could not have been worse.

Coach Mark Few told the Associated Press the NCAA called to inform him officials blew the call on a 10-second violation that went against the Bulldogs late in Syracuse’s come-from-behind win in the Sweet 16.

The turnover came with 1:17 left and Gonzaga leading 60-59. Josh Perkins skipped a pass for Kyle Dranginis into the frontcourt, and Syracuse’s Trevor Cooney deflected it back across the line, where Dranginis grabbed it again.

The referees called a 10-second violation but the 10-second limit in the backcourt should have reset once a player touched the ball in the front court.

Syracuse scored the last four points as part of a 15-3 run to end the game for a 63-60 win. The Orange went on to another come-from-behind victory, two days later against Virginia, and is in the Final Four with a semifinal against North Carolina set for Saturday.

The NCAA declined to comment.

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In Houston for a national coaching convention that coincides with the Final Four, Few told AP it was “big” of the NCAA to admit the mistake, though he wonders how the game might have played out had the call not gone against the Bulldogs.

Syracuse did not score on the possession after the turnover, but ended up with the go-ahead basket with 22 seconds left, then two free throws after Gonzaga came up empty on its next possession.

“If you score there, you’re up by [three or] four, and if they subsequently go down and miss, they’d have fouled,” Few said.

The coach said there were no hard feelings. He heard the grumbling about Gonzaga’s five turnovers over the last six minutes of the game; in reality, the Bulldogs should’ve been charged with only four.

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“It shows you, there’s so much luck and stuff involved,” Few said. “There are all these factors, and people want to dive into this or that. But really, it’s just an unfortunate deal. But I think it’s probably good in our sport to say, ‘Hey, we screwed up.’ I didn’t make all the perfect calls in that game, either.”

Coaches

South Carolina Coach Frank Martin received a four-year contract extension and a raise after tying the Gamecocks’ record for most wins in a season. Martin received a raise of $350,000 and will make $2.45 million next season. He had two years remaining on the six-year contract he signed after arriving from Kansas State following the 2011-12 season. The Gamecocks started 15-0 this season, were 11-7 in the Southeastern Conference finished 25-9, matching the most-ever wins in program history. ... Steve Henson, a member of Lon Kruger’s Oklahoma staff for five years, has been chosen to be the head coach at Texas San Antonio.

Players

Kentucky guard Jamal Murray has announced that he will enter the NBA draft, becoming the first of several Wildcats who could follow him to the next level. The 6-foot-6 Murray was the Wildcats’ top scorer at 20 points per game, the highest average of any Kentucky player under Coach John Calipari. ... Stanford forward Rosco Allen has declared himself eligible for the NBA draft but will not sign with an agent, meaning he can return to school if he decides by May 25. Allen was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection this season when he led Stanford in scoring at 15.6 points at game. He also averaged 6.5 rebounds.

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