Virginia guard Ty Jerome has a message for outraged fans after no-call on double-dribble

MINNEAPOLIS — Virginia guard Ty Jerome has a message for everyone who thought he double-dribbled in the closing seconds of the Cavaliers’ 63-62 win over Auburn in the Final Four on Saturday.

“People can say what they want,” Jerome said. “We’re playing in the national championship and they’re (not).”

Jerome appeared to lose possession of the basketball when he dribbled off his back foot with four seconds remaining on the game clock. Jerome then picked the ball up and started dribbling again — appearing to start a new possession before being fouled by Auburn’s Bryce Brown with two seconds left.

“I knew they weren’t gonna call double-dribble after they let that (first foul attempt) go," Jerome said Sunday. "It’s hard to be a ref. They miss a lot. So you’ve got to play on."

Auburn’s fanbase was outraged and so was analyst Dick Vitale, who labeled the missed call on Twitter as “absurd.” On the CBS broadcast, officiating analyst Gene Steratore said it was a missed call, noting Jerome “accidentally bumps the ball off his back foot” and “re-possesses the ball with both hands. That ends his dribble.”  

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Jerome offered an explanation for why it looked the way it did.

“I feel like they missed a foul call before that,” Jerome said in the locker room after the win. “They grabbed me, they were trying to foul on purpose.”

On the next possession, another controversial call became the story of the game. UVA’s Kyle Guy was fouled on a three-pointer with 0.6 seconds left and made all three free throws to send the Cavs to the national title game. 

J.D. Collins, the national coordinator of officiating, said the NCAA had no comment on the play because a no-call double-dribble would be considered a judgement or missed call and therefore it is unreviewable.