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Lehigh Screwed

Our basketball season is over. But should it be?

Granted, Lehigh played horribly. But there's a controversy brewing over this game. Read the Morning Call's recap:

Stunned Lehigh Plans to Appeal Loss

Freshman Josh Miller made a running bank shot after the buzzer sounded (as video from Lehigh's Web site, lehighsports.com, showed) that lifted Army to a 47-46 win over Lehigh in the Patriot League tournament quarterfinals at Stabler Arena. Lehigh coach Billy Taylor, more animated than ever, said he planned to appeal.

''We have to fight the fight because it was clearly after the light went off, so we are going to continue to fight until they say we can't anymore, and then we'll fight some more,'' Taylor said.

...

It was the only Lehigh home game this year against a Patriot League opponent that Service Electric TV2 did not broadcast. Therefore, officials Jeff Smith, Jeff Bryant and Jack Sweeney did not have television video to review.

But Lehigh officials were willing to let them review their online video.

''There was at a courtside monitor at the table,'' Taylor said. ''The officials did not review it. They left the court.''

This is a first - officials refusing to review evidence that will help them make the right call. They should be fired as a result.

Look at this from a national perspective. Why should the Patriot League be governed under different rules than the rest of the big-money D-I conferences? If we want to be considered a big-time conference - or even a mid-major conference - these are NOT the headlines that are going to be good for the league.

Why would it have been appropriate to review if Service Electric broadcast the game, but not appropriate since lehighsports.com had a video feed? It makes no sense. Hell, it's the same monitor that they would have been using! If you have access to lehighsports.com, feel free to review the video for yourself. Still think Army won?

Having said that, Lehigh played pathetically in this game... but they cannot let that call stand. Army won on a blown call, period.

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Anonymous said…
If lehigh doesnt win this appeal there is no appeal process. It is cut and dried. He made the shot after the game ended. what can army say, the ref counted the basket?? Well, the video shows that the ref was wrong.
1:07 PM
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