Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsWednesday, August 5, 2026

Xavier-Butler: Reader Does Referees’ Work For Them

Here’s more on the great Xavier-Butler clock malfunction adventure. Reader Tim Burke emailed me in response to my previous post -- in brief summary, the game clock mysteriously stopped for a second near the end of the game, leading the referees to call the game over and sprint off the court to the furor of the Xavier bench.

↵As it turns out, a team of professional referees and thirteen minutes of deliberation are no match for some dude with a DVR:

↵↵I recorded the last minute or so of that game, so fortunately had the live video to break it down frame-by-frame (the way the refs ought to have) and figure out exactly how much time should have been taken off the clock. I used MPEG Streamclip, but any video editor that keeps the video in its native format could do it.
The clock was stopped on 14.7. It read 14.7 for exactly 45 NTSC frames (there are nominally 30 frames a second) meaning it took 1.5 seconds of real time for 0.1 seconds of clock time to elapse. Thus, 1.4 seconds should have been taken off the clock.
Put another way, the clock was inadvertently stopped for 42 NTSC frames (since 14.7 should have been visible for 3 NTSC frames) which is again 1.4 seconds.
↵↵Science has been dropped. If only the NCAA had upgraded their reel-to-reel sideline monitors, the refs might have been on the ball.

Men's College Basketball
College basketball’s 9 national championship contenders for 2027 men’s titleCollege basketball’s 9 national championship contenders for 2027 men’s title
Men's College Basketball

These teams can win it all this season in men’s college basketball.

By Ricky O'Donnell
Men's College Basketball
College basketball rankings: Updated men’s top 25 after busy summer of movementCollege basketball rankings: Updated men’s top 25 after busy summer of movement
Men's College Basketball
UCLA lands Nikola Kusturica, its best recruit since Lonzo Ball and a top 2028 NBA Draft pickUCLA lands Nikola Kusturica, its best recruit since Lonzo Ball and a top 2028 NBA Draft pick
Men's College Basketball

Kusturica will be a 17-year-old freshman phenom at UCLA before entering the NBA Draft in 2028.

By Ricky O'Donnell
NBA
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is the best prospect in the world outside of the NBA, and Duke is nextJoaquim Boumtje Boumtje is the best prospect in the world outside of the NBA, and Duke is next
NBA

Duke struck gold again. The NBA is already salivating over Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje for 2028.

By Ricky O'Donnell
Men's College Basketball
Dusty May’s stunning NBA departure leaves Michigan facing its biggest test yetDusty May’s stunning NBA departure leaves Michigan facing its biggest test yet
Men's College Basketball

How will Michigan recover from losing Dusty May?

By Mike Rutherford