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VIDEO: No. 13 Michigan State survives FGCU thanks to clock operator error

Mississippi Valley State v Michigan State

EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 18: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans dunks during the game against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils at the Breslin Center on November 18, 2016 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)

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No. 13 Michigan State escaped the Breslin Center with a 78-77 win over FGCU on Sunday night thanks in large part to an error made by the person running the clock in the arena.

With 1.6 seconds left, the Eagles had the ball under their own basket, needing to go 94 feet to get a bucket to win the game. Christian Terrell launched an 80-foot inbounds pass that ended up in the hands of Antravious Simmons, but as he caught the ball, the final buzzer sounded.

Instead of starting the clock on the catch, the clock started on the pass. Check it out:

THAT’S NOT HOW THE CLOCK WORKS IN BASKETBALL pic.twitter.com/Lj0BJwethS

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) November 21, 2016


The referees went to the monitor and ruled that the game was over. FGCU head coach Joe Dooley was, rightly, livid, letting the referees and the clock operator have a piece of his mind before he left the floor.

“Miles Bridges didn’t touch the ball,” FGCU head coach Joe Dooley said. “Officials said they can only review it if the shot goes in. We threw the ball in at 1.6 and caught it at 0. The refs said they didn’t start the clock. The table said they didn’t start the clock. The refs said they could only review if the shot goes in. My guy (Antravious Simmons) heard the buzzer and shot it.”

A source told NBCSports that it was NOT the clock operator at the Breslin Center that made the mistake. The “ref had the clock,” the source said.

The question is whether or not the buzzer affected Antravious Simmons’ shot. It looked like he rushed the shot once he heard the buzzer going off, but he knew there was only 1.6 seconds left on the clock. Wouldn’t that be what his shot looked like anyway?

Regardless, many believed that FGCU should have gotten a do-over, but that’s not how the rules work in this situation. The referees don’t have the authority to give FGCU a do-over. What they are allowed to do on a clock-keeper error is to determine whether or not the shot was actually released in the amount of time that was left on the clock. Since Simmons missed the shot, it was a moot point. If he had made the shot that had clearly come after the buzzer sounds, they would have been able to determine that he got the shot off in time. Or, if it was the other way around and the clock started late, the refs would have been able to check to see if Simmons got the shot off in 1.6 seconds.

Anyway, whether or not FGCU actually made that final shot, the bottom-line is that it’s very clear that Michigan State is not a good basketball team right now.

We told you that last week, but there were some promising signs on Sunday night. The most important? Eron Harris looked like he could end up being a go-to guy. He finished with 31 points and hit six threes, although his two missed throws late set up the ending. The Spartans need someone they can run offense through, among other things. If Harris can be that guy, it’s a big step for them.

UPDATE: Here’s what the officials had to say about the ending: