Breaking Down All 33 Fouls Called on the Razorbacks at Missouri

How bad was the SEC officiating in the now infamous game between the Hogs and Tigers?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The talk since the end of Wednesday night's game has been about how many fouls were called against Arkansas and how it affected the game. 

After a full 24 hours of hearing everyone ripping into the referees, there was no choice but to take on the arduous task of breaking down every foul called on Arkansas to determine how many were legitimate fouls and how many were on the refs simply blowing a call. 

At the end, a final breakdown and determination as to the impact of how things things were officiated will be assessed.

FOUL #1
Ricky Council (1)

There's no doubt that this is a foul. Council got things off to a physical start by hitting DeAndre Gholston with a hard hip check. 

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #2
Kamani Johnson (1)

Johnson was guarding Kobe Brown, one of biggest and possibly most powerful player on the Missouri roster. He grabbed Brown by the arm and drug him to the ground, making it easy for the referees to make the call.

However, his recognition of how the refs reacted to him getting moved around in dramatic fashion may have been the inspiration for a foul to come a few minutes later.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #3
Davonte Davis (1)

Davis was focused on Gholston who was guarding him tight as he drove to the basket. Because of perfect defensive positioning, Davis didn't see Isaiah Mosley as he left his feet in an attempt to hit Makhi Mitchell for an easy two points under the basket.

Because of this, Mosley was able to get his feet down just in time to draw a charge.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #4
Anthony Black (1)

Up until this point, the game has been called with consistency. It's been a tough, physical game where the refs have let them play so long as it's not excessive. That's why the call on Black caught everyone off guard. 

There really wasn't much to see here. If it had been a game where the officials were looking for any reason to call a foul, then maybe this slides by, but it was a ticky-tack foul that was so out of line with how the game was being played and called that it made no sense. 

If this was a foul, then there should have already been close to 20 fouls called already.

RULING: QUESTIONABLE

FOUL #5
Jordan Walsh (1)

Walsh clearly has Brown's arm tucked under his armpit in a hook and hold position. However, this foul may be the result of a more experienced, crafty player. 

Brown quickly recognized Walsh and immediately set about the task of backing him down into the paint in a rather physical manner. When Brown sensed his arm in the hook and hold, he spun around and made a dramatic gesture to make sure the referees could see it.

Having already been preconditioned to the idea that anything other than a perfectly stable Brown must be the result of a hard foul, the whistle was blown. 

It was such a genius move that it wouldn't be surprising if it turned out Brown intentionally put his arm under Walsh's and then made the move because where the spin was taking him didn't make basketball sense. It took Brown out of the play and also put Walsh in a stronger position to use his length and athleticism to guard the much larger Brown instead of being powerless to do anything while attached to his backside.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #6
Jordan Walsh (2)

While the first five fouls were coming at a clip of one for every 80 seconds of basketball, including the last two in a three second span, the fouls were spread out. Just over a minute after getting duped into his first foul of the night, Missouri managed to get Walsh his second.

Walsh was defending the ball coming up the court along the right sideline. He loses defensive position fairly quickly and makes the mistake of dropping his arm like a railroad crossing bar across the front of the guy he was defending.  

From the television camera angle, it looked like he didn't touch him. However, there is an official on either side of them along the sideline about 15 feet away with the players perfectly between. 

It would have looked like Walsh fouled from both angles. There was no need for him to extend his arm at a perpendicular angle from his body, triggering the call.

While this technically wasn't a foul, this one is on Walsh and not the referees. That being said, this is a second call that isn't consistent with how things were being called the previous 7:44 of play.

RULING: SLIGHTLY QUESTIONABLE, BUT MORE ON WALSH

FOUL #7
Jalen Graham (1)

Graham steps up to provide help defense on a drive to the basket on his left side. He doesn't see Mohamed Diarra, whom he was guarding out at the three-point line prior, slip in behind him. 

The ball goes to Diarra, whom Graham sees at the last possible second, and smacks him across the face as he tries to get his arms up to defend the shot. What would have been an easy basket results in a 1-of-2 trip to the line, so as fouls go, it wasn't the worst for the Razorbacks.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #8
Ricky Council (2)

Brown was able to reach in and poke the ball away from Council shortly after he crossed mid-court. He scooped it up and made a break for the basket.

Council was able to get in front of him, but Brown cut hard right behind Council's back for the lay-up. Council reached back when Brown cut, but he was so far out of position to defend that he didn't touch Brown.

Brown got his feet tangled up with himself trying to watch the ball go in and fell to the floor. 

If there is a foul on this play, it's Brown pushing off Council to go after the loose ball. This is a case of refs anticipating a foul instead of actually seeing one. 

If anything, Council should have been at the line shooting a pair of free throws with the chance to make it 14-6. Instead, Brown completes the 3-point play and it's 12-9.

RULING: BAD CALL

FOUL #9Joseph Pinion (1)

Pinion came in and immediately body checked a much larger Brown on a fast break. It's one of those situations that he will let go in the future with more experience instead of trying to defend something that can only result in a foul

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #10
Joseph Pinion (2)

This time Pinion body checked Gholston for no reason, turning what should have been a long miss into a pair of free throws to make it 12-12.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #11
Makhi Mitchell (1)

Gholston drives against Mitchell with a strong display of dribbling skills. Mitchell has good defense and, at first glance, it seems like a bad call. However, Mitchell's foot clips Gholston's knee, throwing him off balance.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #12
Kamani Johnson (2)

Johnson was getting banged around pretty hard as he scrapped for rebounds. He then got called for what appeared to be a pretty easy foul to call as he shook Mosley in a violent manner. 

However, a closer look shows Johnson go after the rebound and Mosley clamp down on Johnson's arm, creating the contact. That being said, watching it live instead of slowing it down would result in a foul being called 100 out of 100 times.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #13
Davonte Davis (2)

In what might have been one of the most costly fouls of the game, Davis was definitely the guilty party. 

With under a minute to go in the half, Davis lost control of the ball on the offensive end near the baseline. After failing to recover it, Davis inexplicably hit Mosley with what can best best be described as a weak clothesline 89 feet from the basket.

Mosley got to knock down a pair of cheap free throws and Davis went into the locker room with an extra foul that would play out big in the final minutes.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #14
Ricky Council (3)

Council happened to be down low near Brown as Brown rebounded the ball and went back up. A very light hand on Brown's back was the only contact.

There was no shove or impact to the shot. Considering the beating Johnson has taken in the first two minutes of this half, it's shocking to see such a soft foul called. 

Not even sure this one would be a foul in a tightly called game.

RULING: BAD CALL

FOUL #15
Makhi Mitchell (2)

Mitchell does a good job of guarding Diarra as he dribbles and pivots across the paint. However, at the last second, Mitchell gets off his feet and technically doesn't give Diarra room to land. This is one the refs could have easily let go, and definitely did at other times in the game.

That being said, this was a foul.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #16
Jordan Walsh (3)

There were times last year where Jaylin Williams got the benefit of the call on a charge because of the reputation he earned as a master of the craft. 

Referees must view Walsh in a reverse manner. Yes, again, by the book, this one is a foul, but it requires an official to actively look for it to have seen it. 

Walsh fought through a screen set by Brown while trying to stay with Mosley. He was able to squirt past the screen, but hadn't gotten to Mosley when the foul was called. 

This took a lot of rewinding and a bit of squinting to notice. When Walsh fought through the screen, his arm went around behind Brown and pushed his way forward without moving Brown much in the way someone extends an arm and pushes off the ground when climbing out of a manhole. 

 It's a foul, but it's also an indicator that Walsh has developed a reputation that is going to make life miserable for him over the next three months.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #17
Kamani Johnson (3)

Johnson got off balance on a spin move by Brown, allowing the agile giant to get under him and power up through his body for the foul. 

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #18
Jordan Walsh (4)

Walsh got called for what most fans would call "Over the Back." Technically, there's no such thing in college basketball no matter how many times fans scream it at their television screens.

What is being referred to is a common foul that is called when someone shoves off another player to get a rebound or impedes them from jumping up for the rebound.

This call is problematic in many ways. Walsh supposedly fouled Mosley.

However, Mosley was under the rim and essentially behind the backboard on the play. To avoid the call, Walsh has to do two things: 

1. He has to jump straight up and down, which he did. His feet land in almost the exact same spot on the outer edge of the paint.

2. He can't shove another player to keep position. This didn't happen either. Mosley went up and landed in pretty much the same spot with no noticeable contact from Walsh.

RULING: BAD CALL

FOUL #19
Makhi Mitchell (3)

Mitchell catches the ball about 10 feet from the basket, puts it on the floor and has plenty of room to get off a clean shot. However, he accelerates, drops his shoulder, and plow squarely into Brown's chest

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #20
Anthony Black (2)

Black is minding his own business, doing the best he can to keep a cool head when D'Moi Hodge took off running directly at Black. The Arkansas guard put his arms out to protect himself and Hodge landed an elbow shot across the chin that looked like it was on purpose.

Yet, somehow, Black was called for the foul. The only explanation for it would be that he put his arms out to protect himself and technically initiated contact. 

Eventually, the officials reviewed it and added a technical foul to Hodge's ledger. How the technical foul didn't wipe out the foul is a bit confusing considering it was an act of self defense.

RULING: BAD CALL

FOUL #21
Kamani Johnson (4)

Remember that discussion earlier about what constitutes a foul on a rebound? Johnson hit all those finer points in what's not allowable on this one.

He didn't go straight up and he initiated contact that hindered Aidan Shaw's ability to come away with the rebound by catching him with the body in mid-air and planting him among the camera crew.

RULING: SO LEGITIMATE IT SHOULD BE IN AN INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO

FOUL #22
Jordan Walsh (5)

Walsh was defending Gholston when the Tiger tried to make a break for the basket off a screen. Walsh, knowing he was beat, tried to fight through and hooked his arm under Gholston's arm from behind and raised his hand up so that his forearm would brace against Gholston's shoulder, rendering him unable to get away.

This was a pretty easy one, so no beef on Walsh earning his fifth.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #23
Makhi Mitchell (4)

This foul was especially confusing because the reaction by Anthony Black and the announcers makes it seem like Black got the foul. If the camera hadn't caught the official holding up Mitchell's number in the background, there wouldn't have been a way to tell that it wasn't.

It took a lot of rewinding and eventually an extreme slo-mo setting to figure out where any contact may have taken place. You have to watch closely to see that when Gholston tried to jump sideways to go around Mitchell, he puts his feet between Mitchell's legs and contacts the Razorback center's calf muscle to throw himself off balance.

Since the contact was initiated by Gholston, this shouldn't have been a foul by Mitchell, although it's easy to see how the mistake might be made in the heat of the game.

RULING: QUESTIONABLE

FOUL #24
Ricky Council (4)

Ricky Council drove the floor and let himself get a little out of control as he broke for the rim. Waiting on him was Brown, who had camped out just outside the restricted area. 

The refs had already identified this and mentally decided that if Council got into the area and made contact that it would be a foul. However, there is an additional factor they didn't count on.

Gholston, who was dropped back to Brown's left, stepped forward and initiated the contact with Council before he could get to Brown. Had Council gotten to Brown, it definitely would have been a foul as called, but he never made it.

In fact, the contact that knocked Brown ajar was Gholston colliding with him hip to hip, not Council.

RULING: BAD CALL

FOUL #25
Anthony Black (3)

Arkansas missed a couple of easy shots and paid for it when Missouri threw a long baseball pass to Hodge. Black, not wanting to give up an easy lay-up, opted to hack Hodge instead.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #26
Davonte Davis (3)

Missouri got a block followed by three offensive rebounds in what was a terrible sequence for Arkansas that ended in a clear foul by Davonte Davis. The Arkansas guard tried to stay vertical, but clearly got a good chunk of arm in his effort to stop a fourth Missouri shot.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #27Davonte Davis (4)

This one is known as the tackle, although that's a mischaracterization of what happened. Davis definitely fouled Shean East as he tried to reach in on East's left side and then his right.

Unfortunately, their feet got tangled up, making this foul look worse than it was.

RULING: LEGITIMATE

FOUL #28
Makhi Mitchell (5)

Gholston took Mitchell to his left and rose up for a fall away jumper that went down to tie the game. This is a foul that got Arkansas fans really hot, although it was much closer than Razorback fans might like to admit. 

Mitchell had his hand on Gholston's hip as he drove. However, just before Gholston initiated his shot, Mitchell removed his hand, thus creating the beginning of what would eventually be a good three feet of space between him and Gholston.

If a foul was to be called, it would have had to have been called on the floor before the shot, which would have taken the points off the board and sent Gholston to the line for two.

RULING: BAD CALL

FOUL #29
Davonte Davis (5)

This foul should have been a hard one to miss because of instant replay. Davis was driving the lane when he stepped East's foot, sending him careening into Hodge. 

Hodge was standing in the restricted zone. At the last second, he lifted his heels so they weren't touching the line, but this isn't football. The restricted zone extends up all the way to the ceiling.

RULING: BAD CALL

FOUL #30
Kamani Johnson (5)

The ball went down low to Brown and Johnson immediately stood straight up with his arms held high. Brown went up into Johnson's arms, initiating the contact, leading to the final foul of the night for Johnson.

If this were a high school game, it would be easy to see this call going this way. However, college quality referees should be able to recognize Johnson's position.

RULING: QUESTIONABLE AT BEST

FOUL #31
Jalen Graham (1)

Graham lost the handle on what would have been a game-tying shot down low. Arkansas appeared to have Missouri pinned for a possible 10-second call, but the Tigers were about to break free, so Graham sacrificed his body by throwing it in front of East to stop the clock.

RULING: Legitimate

FOUL #32
Derrian Ford (1)

Following a floater by Black to cut the lead to two, Ford intentionally gave up a foul to give Arkansas a chance in the final seconds.

RULING: Legitimate

FOUL #33
Joseph Pinion (1)

Black nailed a three, to make it a 1-point game. Pinion's intentional foul guaranteed Arkansa would get a shot at tying the game no matter what.

RULING: Legitimate

Odd Notes

• In the first 11:35 of the game, Missouri had six points. When Council got his second foul and headed to join Walsh on the bench, the Tigers scored 16 points in 4:17. 

• For nearly the entire second half, Missouri had more overall fouls than Arkansas and was deep in foul trouble. The Tigers had three players with three fouls early on while only Council had three for Arkansas, and it didn't take long for Diarra to pick up his fourth way before any Razorbacks did.

• With five minutes left, both teams had 22 fouls with Arkansas up by 10 at 67-57.

• Arkansas fans have repeated that Missouri didn't have any fouls in the final stretch, but that isn't true. There was a foul on East with 1:12 left in the game.

Conclusion

Overall, this was a fairly officiated game until the final five minutes. At that point, the game got away from the referees. 

There's a legitimate complaint that bad calls might have influenced whether Arkansas was able to come away with a win.

That being said, the large number of turnovers and numerous missed shots in close were a much bigger factor than officiating. Bad decisions leading to a massive pile of legitimate fouls created significant issues too.

Also a factor was the lack of depth displayed by Arkansas. Had the Razorbacks utilized more players, the fouls would have been more widely dispersed, possibly avoiding the loss of key players in the final minute.

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