7 most baffling calls made by college basketball refs this season ft. Clemson-Duke controversy

Officiating is an important part of the game, and bad calls happen, even in college basketball. Sure, that's the traditional way to view the sport. But several decisions are more than just wrong. Some are downright errant, strange or even surreal.

Here are seven of the most baffling calls from the 2023-24 college basketball season, including a couple from the women's game.

7 Most Baffling Calls by College Basketball Refs this Season

#7. A "Clean" Hit to the Face for LSU Women

It was a one-sided game, but a bad call is a bad call. The Jacksonville coach had seen enough when LSU's Angel Reese hit a Dolphins player in the face. Missed calls happen, but it's hard to overlook a hit to a player's face in mid-shot.

#6. Louisville takes a bizarre officiating decision in women's hoops

Louisville played Syracuse earlier this month and had a one-point lead in the final seconds. While defending, Louisville, with fouls to give, made a clear foul against the Syracuse ballhandler. Somehow, the foul was dubbed intentional, and Syracuse made the free throws and ran out the clock for a bizarre win.

A foul? Yeah. Intentional foul? Ugh.

Incidentally, the call is so bad that the ACC apparently covered up the actual foul in this full-game replay video.

#5. Clemson Gets Robbed

Leading by a point late at Duke in January, Clemson appeared to have gotten a game-sealing stop. But then a late whistle sent Duke to the foul line for the winning points. Most teams would not have gotten such a call, but Duke did.

#4. Hunter Dickinson's Oscar

Kansas trailed TCU in January, with the Horned Frogs having the ball ... until a shaky call bailed out Kansas. TCU's Ernest Udeh got hit with a flagrant foul call for some minimal contact. Kansas' Hunter Dickinson drew the call with some fine acting.

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#3. Penn State loses scrum, game to Georgia Tech

In pre-conference play, Penn State lost a game in brutal fashion when an official decided to stop a final-second scrum. Penn State appeared to have secured an impressive non-conference win, but that's not what the officials saw.

#2. Miss two calls, lose control at Gonzaga

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been one of the darlings of college basketball in recent years. But their fans don't enjoy blown calls, either. Earlier this year, Gonzaga lost to St. Mary's after officials missed two calls that should have negated a St. Mary's 3-point basket. The Zags fans took to throwing garbage on the court.

#1. The Goaltend that wasn't

Louisville looked to be headed to overtime with Syracuse after a game-tying basket. But an excellent blocked shot instead became a phantom goaltend, with the Cardinals taking the loss.

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Are there any officiating gaffes that we missed? What are some of your most head-shaking calls in college basketball? Have your say in the comments section.