ESPN shows Charlotte loss 'a mistake'

MADISON, Wis. -- If the Hoosiers' recent string of success before Tuesday's loss at Wisconsin wasn't an indicator that things were going IU's way come March, then ESPN helped the team out a bit.\nDuring the first television timeout of Tuesday's telecast of the IU-Wisconsin game, broadcasters Brent Musberger and Steve Lavin reviewed the controversial 3-point buzzer beater by Charlotte Dec. 22 at Assembly Hall.\nESPN replayed the television version of the play that had 49ers guard Brendon Plavich releasing the shot at half court with 0.1 second left on the game clock in the corner of the television screen -- which is an ESPN game clock, not the official game clock. The network then showed a different angle with the Assembly Hall scoreboard -- the official game clock -- which had Plavich releasing the shot after time expired.\nMusberger said the score will not be reversed but shows the clock that head official Ed Hightower was supposed to use would have not allowed the game-winning 3-pointer. That win would put the Hoosiers with 15 wins on the season and at the time would have broken Charlotte's four-game winning streak.\n"You can see it has zeroed out on the score board," Musberger described during the replay, which came at the north baseline of Assembly Hall. "The ball has not been released. And this, of course, is the angle that would have changed Hightower's mind here. So now, Steve, the question becomes, how will the committee consider, and first of all, we're not trying to put Charlotte down, there's no mistake about this. It counts, its not going to be changed, but will the NCAA committee consider this when they're talking about Indiana's chances?" \nAfter Tuesday's buzzer-beater loss at Wisconsin, IU has one more chance to get the coveted 10th Big Ten Win against Northwestern Saturday. The loss moves the Hoosiers to fourth in the league, with a 9-6 record and ups Wisconsin to third with a 10-5 record.\nLavin said the committee can compare the Charlotte incident to an injury when it comes time to pick the 65 teams March 13, but it isn't the "defining point in terms of being in or out of the tournament."\nIU coach Mike Davis, despite having referred to the Charlotte incident in the past, wouldn't talk about it.\n"I can't make any comments about it," Davis said. "I just have to wait and see. I can't make any comments because that game is over with. They went back and reviewed it. I can't make any comments." \nIU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan said the University has already pled its case to the Big Ten and ESPN but does not wish to argue it further.\nIn his interview with ESPN's Erin Andrews, Greenspan pled for NCAA Tournament consideration.\nAndrews said the reason for bringing up the Charlotte incident again was because of the enormity of the Wisconsin game and IU being on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.\nShe admitted that ESPN made a mistake with their clockwork, but the officials did their job with what they had to work with.\n"We were wrong," Andrews said. "We were wrong. I think we know that. I think the network knows that."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.