Listen to our George “Toothless Tiger” Clark recap a thrilling 83-77 Yale win over Princeton, including postgame comments from Princeton coach Mitch Henderson, Yale senior guard Alex Copeland and more:
4 thoughts on “Yale hangs on to outlast Princeton, advance to Ivy League Tournament final”
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Unfortunately, disgracefully bad officiating determined this game in Yale’s favor. I regret that this may sound like sour grapes or excuse-mongering, but even the TV announcers, who normally bend over backwards to sound neutral, believed the refs jobbed Stephens on three ridiculous hand check fouls. And the way the game ended after Stephens fouled out made it crystal clear that these calls determined the outcome of the game. To recap for those who didn’t watch, the refs called 3 highly questionable fouls on Stephens; the last one was the worst as it was Oni who transgressed to the extent that any call had to be made. In truth, none of the three fouls should have been called and it’s frankly very hard to understand why the refs officiated the game that way. I hope the League will review the matter. Kudos to Coach Henderson for avoiding a technical foul as I’m sure he was tempted to throw a fit. To Yale fans and players I can only say this: You are like Private Ryan now. As Tom Hanks said to Private Ryan with his final breath: “Earn this.” Yale was gifted this semi-final win by the stripes. They must redeem this gift by beating Horrible Harvard (HH) in the final.
thnx for great coverage all season George- Go Tigers!
Steve: Myles was asked about the calls in post game interview. Henderson whispered to him “Be careful” and he was. It was plain that he was upset beyond measure, but handled the situation with Grace. He told his mother later that he was tempted to say exactly how he felt but resisted the urge.
Thanks for sharing that, George. In fact, that is exactly why I wrote my comment. The players and coaches are forbidden from vocalizing their feelings about bad officiating, even when it tips the scales decisively, as occurred yesterday. Really, it’s only the fans and “pundits” who can afford to vent, so I went ahead and posted my comment knowing that others would probably just see it as sour grapes. I not only want to draw attention to the issue of terrible, home-cooked officiating, I want our players and their family members to know that they are supported by the fan base. Our guys were FANTASTIC yesterday and they were robbed of the opportunity to make history.
But honestly, I wish others would speak up about this, too, because what happened yesterday calls into question the integrity of the entire tournament model. Critics of the League’s decision to use home gyms to host the IL Tournament warned that something like this could happen and now it has. It will be interesting to see if something similar happens today in the final. The important point moving forward is whether the League is concerned enough about this to do something about it. In my opinion what happened yesterday gave the League a black eye, something they didn’t need the same week that news broke involving multiple bribery scandals at Ivy athletic departments. Is it time to start talking seriously about a permanent, neutral location for the Tournament?
Finally, your sharing of the post-game interview anecdote underscores the most important point of all, and that is what a great champion and role model Myles Stephens is. He now enters the pantheon of all-time Princeton greats, both on and off the court. I could not be prouder of him and the entire team this season. They way they handled themselves throughout an incredibly challenging season is nothing short of inspirational. The comeback they staged yesterday was another page to the added to the lengthy book cataloging great moments in Princeton basketball history. What a shame that the referees had to put a thumb on the scale to prevent the completion of the epic comeback. Still, what Myles and his team accomplished yesterday will be remembered and will provide a foundation for next year’s squad to build on. Go Tigers! Let’s win the women’s title today!