NCAA Says Review of LSU-Iowa National Title Found Officiating Was Subpar

The NCAA said the percentage of correct calls made in the NCAA women's basketball final game was lower than its usual average for a championship game.

The NCAA and an independent review obtained by the Associated Press found that officials missed a staggering number of calls the 2023 women’s college basketball national championship game between LSU and Iowa in April.

Lynn Holzman, the NCAA’s vice president for women’s basketball, said that officials in a women’s title game typically register “91%” on correct calls during the sport’s biggest game of the season. Although the sport’s governing body did not share the findings with the AP, an official who did not partake in the women’s title game shared an independent review saying that the percentage of correct calls in the championship was lower than 88%, according to ESPN.

According to the review, some of the officials’ mistakes included a foul called on LSU star Angel Reese in the first quarter of the contest, resulting in her picking up two early fouls in the game. In the third quarter, the independent review found that officials missed one offensive foul call on both teams. Both calls were reviewed on video but neither of the offensive players were penalized, according to the anonymous official sharing the independent review.

The NCAA’s review was initially expected to take place in April 2024 after the women’s national championship game. However, there was a change of plans after the officiating of last season’s title game came under scrutiny.