With the flurry of close basketball games on Sunday – and the fact that they went all the way until midnight, I did miss out of a couple things that were worth blogging about – so while I could be wasting my time creating the handicapping for the Sweet 16 games, I felt catching up on a few things would be more fun.

With 8:34 left in the first half of the Florida vs Iowa game, the Lunatic was likely watching the exciting ending of the Tennessee vs. Virginia game. And I missed a moment that might have redefined the entire tournament. Since then, I have seen it multiple times and changed my opinion multiple times.

The Hawkeyes had jumped out to a 19-13 lead when Florida’s Alex Condon missed a shot from just outside the lane. Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras jumped in and grabbed the defensive rebound. And then, Condon came in from behind him and grabbed at the ball. As the two players fought for control, the referees blew the whistle and were getting ready to call a jump ball.

After the whistle blew, Condon made a powerful swing that lifted and slammed Folgueiras and the ball to the ground, and then Folgueiras created a fist and appeared to punch Condon while they were both on the ground. The coaches had to come onto field to separate the potential brawl that was brewing and then started having words themselves. Tensions were super high as the referees reviewed what happened to figure out any discipline.

The replay did show that Folgueiras’ punch never landed – in fact, the announcers started to debate if he was trying to punch the ball out of Condon’s hands as if he was a safety trying to cause a fumble in a football game.

I think by the letter of the law, Folgueiras should have been ejected and there is an argument that Condon should have been as well. But I am actually glad the referees ended up simply giving them both dead ball technicals.

I think the argument that Folgueiras was trying to punch the ball out is ridiculous. Lets say that he didn’t hear the whistle (which would be crazy since the whistles were non-stop at this point). But how would punching the ball secure the rebound – that would just cause the ball to roll away – which seems like a crazy choice when you currently have your arms wrapped around the ball. After watching it multiple times, it looked like he wanted to retaliate and thought better of it at the last second. He wasn’t trying to punch the ball – he was trying to pull his punch.

And Alex Condon isn’t innocent in this. Lets say that he didn’t hear the whistle (which is less crazy but it sure didn’t seem like a coincidence that he tackled Folgueiras at the moment the whistles blew). The argument I have heard is he was trying to pull the ball away and was so strong that he flipped him to the ground. That is ridiculous as well – if he did that movement and successfully got only the ball, he would have still fallen to the ground and got called for travelling. His intent was clear – it was to throw the Hawkeye to the ground.

I could probably make an argument that Condon’s actions deserved a Flagrant 2, but honestly, a Flagrant 1 seems like the right answer. I could make a better argument that Folgueiras deserved a Flagrant 2 for fighting – just because he didn’t initiate it doesn’t change the punishment. But at the end, he didn’t follow through so if anything, Condon physically hurt him more than vice versa.

So, I eventually came to the conclusion that both players deserved the same punishment – and so if that feels like a Flagrant 1 for Condon, it is also a Flagrant 1 for Folgueiras. I think that is actually where the refs landed as well. They didn’t want to eject Condon and since Folgueiras didn’t land the punch, they didn’t want to eject him either. I don’t like rough play so I would have been good with multiple ejections, but I think the refs got it right.

Regardless, it still might have been the biggest call of the tournament. If Folgueiras had been ejected for fighting, he would not have been there at the end of the game to hit the three-pointer from the corner that won the game for the Hawkeyes. And of course, Condon also made big plays for the Gators – so it would have been a different game if he also was gone. Regardless, if Florida had survived because Folgueiras had not been there to hit the game winner, the Gators certainly have the talent to win four more games and repeat as champions. So while no one might have known at the time – they probably were simply trying to not have the referee’s decision shape the result. But it might have reshaped the entire tournament.

We will never know – maybe if they had been ejected, someone else would have been the hero for the Hawkeyes. At the end of the day, I think the right call was made but I am sure that if I was a Gators’ fan, I might feel differently about the controversy.