IT SAYS HERE ...

Cory Alexander did nothing wrong last week when a replay favoring Virginia was overturned. Quite the contrary, had he not noted the game officials’ mistake and/or refused to make the ACC Network’s better look at the erroneous call late in the game against Florida available … only then the U.Va., alumnus would/should have been subjected to serious grief. 

 In case you missed it … the Cavaliers held a two-point edge with 54.9 seconds remaining when Blake Buchanan made a key defensive play, knocking the ball away from Florida’s Walter Clayton. It went out of bounds, last touched – the officials ruled – by Clayton. Because none of the three was 100 per cent sure, they checked their only available replay … and determined the right call had been made. 

 Meanwhile, Alexander, looking at the network’s version, noted out loud the ball had not touched Clayton. One of the officials standing near-bye, Pat Adams, heard him and quickly told crew chief Lee Cassell, who was about to give the ball to Virginia, that maybe he should check the TV feed first. 

 It’s all there on YouTube for anyone to see. Alexander, working the game as TV analyst, shows Cassell and Adams the monitor … and just like that Florida has the ball but not before U.Va., coach Tony Bennett … shall we say, is displeased most of all with Alexander. 

 No, Bennett doesn’t go bonkers … or berserk … as some accounts would suggest. He takes a few steps on to the court and, by reading his lips, says, “What are you doing, Cory … That isn’t your job.” 

 Bennett isn’t restrained – as also mentioned – by his players although one more or less motions for him to calm down … which he does (sort of) although continuing to holler at Alexander.

 “We got a much better view of this one,” Alexander told his viewing audience while they ran the replay – again. “Blake Buchanan does a great job of sliding his feet and getting his hand on the ball. The question was: Does the ball hit Clayton’s hand as it bounces up from the floor? It does not – definitively … and now Tony Bennett is upset with me … yelling at me from across the floor. I’ll take that one. That’s on me.”

 “The officials did the right thing utilizing what was at their disposal,” said Doug Sherman, Alexander’s play by play partner, before play resumed. Virginia won 73-70 but that didn’t keep such national media outlets as Sports Illustrated, Bar Stool Sports and USA Today from having their say … which, for the most part, blamed the officials for taking so long to make a decision, right or wrong.

 Bar Stool took a shot at Alexander as well. “[He] sounded like he was being yelled at by his friend’s dad.” Say what? 

 Richmonder Tony Markel, a good friend of both Bennett and Alexander, said, as far as he knew, there was no previous animosity between them. Yes, he admitted, it was unusual for Bennett to go off the way he did but Alexander told Markel they had talked and all was well between them. 

 Markel is the No. 1 contributor to U.Va., hoops and he and Alexander operate an annual charity in Richmond for inner city children. In addition, the Cavaliers’ assistant head coach Jason Williford and Alexander have remained best friends since being teammates in the mid-90s at Virginia. 

 In other words, all is apparently well in Hooville … where, by the way, Alexander was scheduled to work Tuesday night’s game with North Carolina A&T. 

 YOU KNEW knew all was well in HokieLand when, tuning in to Saturday’s VaTech/Boston College game with a few minutes to go, we heard Bill Roth and Mike Burnop yukking it up about anything but football. They remain the best tandem in Virginia – one of the all-time best. In fact, this old mind had trouble recalling any better. 

There have been several really good at play by play but few who added to the coverage like Burnop … and few, if any, who were equally proficient at both football and basketball like Burnop. 

 THANK YOU, MASN, for … nothing. The replay of VCU’s game with Samford went to a timeout commercial with the Rams trailing by five with 11:44 to go. When the network returned, we first were advised “due to time restraints … we move further ahead in the game” … like more than eight minutes … and now VCU led 62-60 en route to winning by 10. 

 How did the Rams do it? They trailed by 13 in the first half and by nine with more than 13 minutes left. You had to be unduly optimistic to think they would stop playing so badly to actually move ahead.

 “Man, this was a great win. We had our hopes high … and it met our expectation,” said TV’s TJ Wengert. We will have to take his word for it. 

 Big BOO!! to MASN. Obviously we missed the good stuff … all of it. 

 OF COURSE … Michigan isn’t the only college team to … ahh, skirt the rules. So why pick on Jim Harbaugh … and not, say, Kansas hoops boss Bill Selph who should be sitting out whole seasons for his blatant, well-documented cheating? Simple … Selph is likable … Harbaugh isn’t. There can be no other reason for the Big 10 suspending the Michigan coach for three games … not based on the evidence presented. 

 Until next time ...