Roll the Tape: NCAA Basketball Falls Victim to TV Sports’ Interminable Call Reviews

College hoops’ top showcase irritated fans by dragging out games as officials stop the action to review every close play

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – APRIL 05: Dylan Cardwell #44 of the Auburn Tigers and Rueben Chinyelu #9 of the Florida Gators tip the ball during the first half in the Final Four Game of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Alamodome on April 05, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The NCAA basketball tournament delivered a nail-biting finish on Monday night, as Florida edged Houston in the final moments. Yet as many hoops fans have discovered over the three-week spectacle known as March Madness, those “moments” often dragged on for minutes, as the referees engaged in go-to-the-monitor reviews of seemingly every close call and play.

The practice has already drawn attention in earlier rounds of the tournament, with the Wall Street Journal actually adding up the time spent on official reviews, finding a particularly risible example from the Arizona-Oregon game, where the final two minutes of play actually took 25 minutes to conduct.

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