The game result was a 77-71 Seton Hall loss to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
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The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (26-9) advanced to play North Carolina (28-7) in a second-round game Sunday.
Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson joked about Barford’s defense in his postgame news conference. “He knows we don’t lose our head”. But I’m still proud of our team and what we accomplished this year. “It was a physical, athletic game”, Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said.
Well, they don’t call it March Madness for nothing. Arkansas was awarded two free throws and the ball. “I think it’s an important reminder to college kids, how lucky they are”.
Said Barford: “I was surprised he pushed me like that”. From there: foul, free throws, game over. “I made the best decision to play for the flawless school”, he said. At the end of games, those types of intentional fouls are routine.
What an absolute horrific call by the officials on #SetonHall.
Seton Hall: The Pirates had a 17-5 run to take a 64-56 lead with 8:41 left, but their mistakes down the stretch hurt.
Last season, led by Isaiah Whitehead, who now plays for the Brooklyn Nets, the Pirates won the Big East Tournament in a thrilling game over the eventual national champion Villanova Wildcats, but lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The first game of the day was one of the most anticipated, with watchers eagerly awaiting a duel between two of the best point guards in the country.
Carrington scored 22 points to lead Seton Hall (21-12). They had just turned the ball over and were down a point with the shot clock off.
Seton Hall went cold on offense in the final 10 minutes, but the Pirates’ missed opportunities will be overshadowed by the last thing anybody wants late in an NCAA Tournament game: an officiating debate.
“We’ve had some of that take place, too”, Anderson said. Of course, it can be argued that few fouls in late-game situations ever look like a play on the ball, and rarely are calls like this made. Indeed, Rodriguez shoved Barford with two hands without making a play on the ball.
To be sure, the controversial call should not absolve Seton Hall of its own mistakes.
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The Pirates had multiple chances, missing a would-be go-ahead shot and then, after an official review determined they should keep the ball when it went out of bounds, committed another turnover.
