"Chill with the whistle": College hoops world left frustrated with constant fouls being called in Clemson vs. Arizona Sweet 16 showdown

The college basketball world vented their frustration on social media over the fouls that dictated the final minutes of Clemson's 77-72 stunner over Arizona in the Sweet 16 on Friday night at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

Fans expressed their disbelief as more than 10 fouls were called over the last eight minutes and 48 seconds just as the game was heading toward an exciting finish. One user targeted the referees, calling them whistle-happy.

Refs have absolutely taken over this Clemson vs Arizona game. 13 fouls in 8:48. Chill with the whistle.

Exasperated fans wanted the whistles to be taken away from referees' and let the teams play their game.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver and Clemson alumnus DeAndre Hopkins also chimed in on the game's officiating, tweeting that the calls weren't fair.

Another fan wrote the game's officiating reminded him of the West Virginia-Kentucky Elite Eight match in 2010 where both teams were whistled for a combined 49 fouls that resulted in 63 free throws.

Another user felt the calls were similar to Clemson-Duke games in Cameron.

Users felt that Arizona stayed alive in the final minutes due to the fouls that the game officials called against Clemson. One fan indicated the free-throw attempt disparity to prove his point.

A fan also urged the NCAA Tournament officials to punish the referees for making the game experience poor.

One user likened the game to a pick-up game where players call for the fouls when there is an immediate contact.

The Sweet 16 game became a whistle-fest that angered most of the fans.

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Arizona given 25 free throws out of 19 Clemson fouls

PJ Hall was whistled for three quick fouls in the second half but he still finished with 17 points to help Clemson win over Arizona in the Sweet 16.

Clemson bench and fans have expressed their frustration over the amount of foul shots Arizona received during the game. The Wildcats were handed 25 freebies as compared to the Tigers' 16. Furthermore, Clemson was charged with 19 fouls while Arizona had 16. The Wildcats also took advantage of the Tigers' seven fouls within the first 8:05 of the second half.

However, Arizona failed to capitalize on the bonus as they missed eight free throws in 25 attempts.

The fans also expressed disbelief at how the referees handled the matchup between Clemson center PJ Hall and his Arizona counterpart, Oumar Ballo.

Hall did not have a foul in the first half, but the referees whistled the 6-foot-10 slotman with three quick fouls in the first 5:10 of the second half.

Fortunately for Hall, he still finished the game and was a factor in Clemson's win over Arizona, finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds. Chase Hunter led the Tigers with 18 markers and Ian Schieffelin added 14.

After the game, Clemson coach Brad Brownell said the officiating was fine.

“These are hard games to call. There’s so much physicality, and the players are so athletic. It’s hard to manage it all, it really is. It had no bearing on anything tonight. Both teams got into the bonus, and both teams got players in foul trouble. At the end of the day, it’s about players making more plays than another team,” he said.

Jaden Bradley came off the bench and topped the Arizona offense with 18 points. Ballo added 15 markers but only connected one out of seven free throws while Caleb Love was miserable from the field, making five of his 18 shots to finish with 13 points.

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