Refereeing Blunder Costs Illinois Late Against UConn: Was the Call Justified?

Any player or coach (who isn’t spinning out in the aftermath of a hard-fought loss) will tell you the same thing: referees do not decide the final outcome of a game. Officials always play a minor role and can influence a contest to an extent, but what the scoreboard reads when the clock hits double zeroes is rarely actually determined by the refs.

But in Illinois' 74-61 loss to UConn on Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York, the officiating on a single possession played an outsized role in the outcome.

Referees mistakes kill Illinois' late-game comeback vs. UConn

Nov 24, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood has words with an official during the second half against the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Were the late-game ref decisions enough to turn determine that outcome? Maybe not. But they inarguably killed the game's building drama – and Illinois' outside chances to pull off a comeback.

With the Illini in the midst of a huge second-half run that cut the deficit to seven, the Huskies had the ball on offense and chewed some clock before narrowly missing a layup at the rim. Retaining possession, UConn brought it back out as the shot clock reset to 20 and burned more time. Then, forward Alex Karaban drove downhill and threw up a wild shot with time once again ticking down – an attempt that steered clear of the rim, meaning the shot clock wouldn’t reset.

Still, UConn big man Eric Reibe snagged yet another offensive board, reaching over (the back of) Illinois’ Ben Humrichous to wrangle in the ball with three seconds left on the shot clock.

Reibe proceeded to kick the ball out to teammate Malachi Smith, and as he did so, the shot clock reset in error. Immediately, the Illini’s Jake Davis stepped up to pressure Smith, who pulled the classic rip-through into a shot to draw a whistle – and he miraculously connected on the shot from five-plus feet beyond the NBA three-point line.

Clock errors are no fault of the referees – but it is their job to notice when they happen. (And a screaming Brad Underwood certainly should have helped draw their attention to it.) Nevertheless, mistakes happen. A missed over-the-back foul and then the shot-clock error are a pair of back-to-back miscues that proved detrimental to Illinois’ hopes. Tough luck. But the referees had an opportunity to get it right – and chose not to.

Going to the table, the officials took a look at the play that had just unfolded. They were able to get a good look at whether or not Karaban’s driving attempt hit the rim (it was nowhere near it) and if the shot clock should have been reset (a hard no).

The call was clear: either a shot clock violation on UConn, erasing the and-one three-pointer and leaving possession in the hands of the Illini or the Huskies retain possession with two seconds on the shot clock – the amount of time left when it was incorrectly reset.

Instead, the referees chose none of the above: count the basket and completely disregard the error. Their explanation (according to the commentators): The first shot on the possession – before Karaban’s attempt – did in fact hit the rim and reset the clock.

But the logic didn’t track. The shot clock went back to 20 following that second offensive rebound of the possession before trickling back down as UConn chewed more time until Karaban’s wild shot.

excuse me WHAT?!! This ball comes nowhere near the rim, meaning the shot clock should’ve expired and the ball goes to Illinois. Instead, UConn gets to chuck a 3 and gets “fouled” for an and-1. They reviewed it and just completely ignored this???? I’ve actually never seen anything… pic.twitter.com/vbr42b1IpX
— 𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖓𝖔𝖗 𝕻𝖎𝖑𝖘 (@TheConnorPils) November 28, 2025

The end result? Four points and an 11-point lead for UConn – all of which proved to be insurmountable for Illinois, which ultimately fell 74-61.

MALACHI SMITH HITS A FOUR POINT PLAY PRAYER TO ICE THE GAME 🥶

pic.twitter.com/pipXWAP7kY
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) November 28, 2025

Would the Illini likely still have fallen short in their comeback attempt? Yes. Is it solely Illinois’ fault that it shot a startling 31.7 percent from the field and 20.7 percent from deep? One hundred percent.

But are the referees to blame for snuffing out any shot the Illini had at clawing back and earning a gritty, resume-strengthening victory – and igniting a huge day of post-Thanksgiving college basketball? Without a doubt.