March Madness was the most fitting name possible for the officiating that took place during the first half of the Sweet Sixteen matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers. From a lack of fouls to completely absurd calls, fans on both sides were irate after the first 20 minutes.
In the highly physical first half, just a dozen fouls were called, and at one point, Texas head coach Vic Schaefer turned a shade of red darker than burnt orange over a questionable back-court violation.
I am genuinely appalled that a ref doesnโt even know what a back court is. Just TERRIBLE. Please more people apply to be referees because this is just pitiful. #texas #Tennessee #NCAAWBB
โ Kelly Hernandez (@ShaniqMich) March 29, 2025
As the Horns were taking the ball down the court, the Vols were putting on their defensive full-court press, and the ball was passed to freshman guard Bryanna Preston. The young guard took a step back to snag the ball, and her foot was on the midcourt line; however, the ball hadn't passed half court yet. So, it literally couldn't be a back-court violation. Yet, the officials called it exactly that.
Very interesting officiating early here In this Tennessee-Texas game
โ Alex (@laus2395) March 29, 2025
A point that was sending Longhorn Nation into madness was the lack of fouls called on Tennessee in the first half. While seven fouls were called on the Longhorns, just five were called on the Volunteers, who subsequently went to the line for six free throw shots.
These refs in this Texas/Tennessee game SUCK! #HookEm๐ค๐พ
โ Big Chrizzle ๐บ๐ธ (@BigChrizzle) March 29, 2025
At halftime, the Horns only maintained a four-point advantage over the Vols. As Texas and Tennessee headed to the locker rooms, the Longhorns held a 34-30 lead. While the close game might have made Longhorn fans uneasy, when the two SEC teams met in the regular season, Texas walked away with a four-point victory, defeating Tennessee 80-76 at home.
Before walking into the tunnel, Madison Booker kept it simple and said that she believed Texas had the lead because "everyone was stepping up and doing their jobs."