Emanuel Miller drained a running three-pointer at the buzzer to give undefeated TCU a thrilling 84-83 win over Georgetown in Washington, D.C., on Saturday evening. However, on further review, Miller’s game-winner shouldn’t have counted.
Georgetown broke an 81-81 tie with two free throws from guard Jayden Epps. TCU had to go the length of the court. The Horned Frogs did just that with a heave to Miller, who got the shot off in time.
But on further review, it appeared Miller stepped out of bounds after the catch. The officials missed the call, and because they did not call Miller out of bounds in real-time, the missed call could not get overturned during the review.
The college basketball world reacted to the controversial ending.
Georgetown’s head coach, Ed Cooley, took the high road about the officiating following the heartbreaking loss.
“We had three of the best officials in America on our game today,” Cooley said, per Bobby Bancroft of Casual Hoya. “High-level officials, Final Four officials, Regional Final officials. The game is not defined by one play, and that’s what everybody is gonna talk about.
“We had opportunities throughout the game. We missed a lot of free throws, [and] missed a couple of blackouts. Everybody’s always gonna think of the last play, ‘What could’ve, should’ve.’ Give [TCU] credit. They had to throw the pass. The kid caught it. And made the shot.”
However, Cooley thinks there is a need to re-evaluate the rule, which prohibits the officials from reviewing whether Miller stepped out.
Georgetown (5-3) rallied after trailing by 15 in the second half to eventually take a 64-63 lead with nine minutes remaining with an Epps layup. The two teams traded leads until the epic ending.
Epps led the Hoyas with 24 points and five assists. Meanwhile, Miller’s big shot capped off a fantastic night for the star forward. He was the leading scorer with 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including three treys.
The Hoyas will have to dusk off the disappointing loss and prepare for its former Big East rival, Syracuse, who will visit next Saturday.
