Furthermore, Sloan almost was knocked flat on his back, another sign that the ball was not poked away cleanly.

Alas, being a virtual home game for UCLA, with the crowd in full roar, and the misguided cliché of "let the players determine the game" being so prevalent today, the refs swallowed their whistles.

And the Aggies had to sulk home in defeat.

Had instant replay been in effect, A&M could have challenged the non-call. If replays were conclusive -- and I think they would have been -- then it's easy to ignore what followed and stop the clock at the moment of the foul and award the free throws.

Would this lead to "chaos" and "four-hour games" as some have derided me for suggesting?

Not in the least.

I said: ONE challenge per game. Period!

OK, what if a foul is called, a team challenges it and they are correct, what then?

Easy: jump ball. You can't assume possession on a foul that was reversed to be "not a foul," so you do the next best thing. Jump it up. It would discourage using your one challenge on a foul call anyway, since the best outcome is not nearly what using it on a non-call would be -- two free throws.

Plus, think of all the other worthy plays that might benefit from having this ONE challenge in your pocket. A ball knocked out of bounds on a late, key possession or guy stepping on the end line or sideline ...

How about the hardest call of them all: a block / charge?

Even with replay, you will still get controversy about calls NOT overturned when you swear they should be. But again, it's just ONE call per game. What is the harm in that?

The NCAA already uses replay for three-point attempts and shot clock violations. Why not expand it just a little? Even on a trial basis, what could it hurt?

As it stands, Texas A&M has no standing in the halls of college basketball royalty. Thus, the outrage on this is very mild, if it even exists at all.

But can you imagine if North Carolina got a non-call like this in the final against UCLA? Ty Lawson getting hammered like this to deny Roy Williams another championship would create a media firestorm like you've never seen.

Frankly, I'm surprised that the NCAA hasn't had a refereeing disaster of this order yet. Call me nuts, but I think a one-challenge per game replay rule would be worthy insurance against it.

If nothing else, see what Bobby Knight thinks of my idea.