No. 2 Tennessee held on for an ugly 46-43 home win over No. 25 Auburn this afternoon following a controversial no call at the buzzer.
First, Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi was awarded a four-point play on a made three-point shot where it appeared he flopped. An official awarded Vescovi with the basket and called a foul, which resulted in a 44-38 Volunteers lead with 2:33 to play.
Huge 3 from Santiago Vescovi plus the foul for Tennessee late! pic.twitter.com/zifCYh0KNV
— Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) February 4, 2023
Minutes later, Vescovi made clear contact with Auburn’s Wendell Green on a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer. The officials didn’t call anything:
No foul call here on Tennessee? #Auburn pic.twitter.com/tF3ll1XkmV
— CBB Talk (@CBBSuperFann) February 4, 2023
Another angle:
Foul or no foul pic.twitter.com/6ccEqkfox2
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 4, 2023
Auburn was 3-for-27 (11.1%) from the three-point line in the game, so the loss can’t solely be blamed on missed calls. That being said, the Tigers were 14-for-19 at the free throw line and certainly deserved an opportunity for three more.
