Syracuse Holds On Late vs. West Virginia After Missed Goaltending Call

In today's matchup between West Virginia and Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, the Mountaineers were completely robbed by a badly missed call. With less than 10 seconds remaining in the game and down by two points, Truck Bryant missed a three-point shot that would ave given West Virginia the lead. Deniz Kilicli, however, caught the airball and went up for what would have been a game-tying shot. His shot, however, was pinned against the backboard by Syracuse's Baye Keita. A goaltending call clearly should have been called. You can judge for yourself in the video below. Syracuse eventually held on to win 63-61.

The fine folks at Deadspin have a higher quality video of the missed call here. It is amazing that three officials can be calling a game of this magnitude and none of them be in position to make a crucial call like this. This, unfortunately, has become the calling card for Big East officiating. Also, what is it about the Carrier Dome that makes officials lose their minds?

If you're curious about the goaltending rule, here's the applicable definition from the official NCAA rule book:

Art. 3. When the entire ball is above the level of the ring during a field-goal try and contacts the backboard, it is considered to be on its downward flight. In such a case, it is goaltending when the ball is touched by a player