When Butler lost to Pitt before it beat Pitt a split-second later Saturday, the immediate reaction centered on the conduct of that game's officiating crew.
A pair of crucial foul calls -- one against each squad -- in the last 2.5 seconds ultimately led to Matt Howard's winning free throw and another Bulldogs postseason victory.
"Let the kids play," critics cried. "Refs shouldn't affect a tight game like that."
But officiating crews have incurred too much blame in the early rounds of the NCAA tournament. Players and coaches are mostly responsible for this year's early drama in a fascinating edition of March Madness.
The foul calls on Butler's Shelvin Mack and Pitt's Nasir Robinson -- the latter put Howard on the line with .8 seconds to go -- were justifiable.
The decisions made by Mack and Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon were not.
With 2.5 seconds to go and Butler up 70-69, what's with the aggressive pressure on the ballhandler? Sure, Mack might have stuffed a last-second shot, but the risk seemed far greater than the reward. The result? Gilbert Brown on the free-throw line with 1.4 seconds to go, following Mack's ridiculous foul near midcourt.
And what's with Dixon, one of the premier coaches in college basketball, keeping players on the block during Brown's potentially game-winning free-throw attempts? Why not force Butler to make a crazy, full-court shot with a fraction of a second on the clock and keep your players out of danger? With the score tied at 70-70, Robinson hacked Howard on the rebound after Brown missed his second shot. Robinson shouldn't have been in position to be called for a foul.