‘Duke Whistle’ ref controversy stirs after St. John’s free throw disparity

No. 1 seed Duke did just enough to get past No. 5 seed St. John’s on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight.

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The Blue Devils went 15-of-24 from the free throw line as they earned an 80-75 win over the Red Storm in front of 19,445 fans at Capital One Arena in Washington DC.

Duke got to the line a lot more than St. John’s. The Red Storm made four of their eight free throw attempts in the Sweet 16. St. John’s was called for 20 fouls to 13 fouls for the Blue Devils.

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As Bad Sports Refs pointed out on X, Duke has benefited from extra free throws throughout the NCAA Tournament in March. The Blue Devils had 15 more free throws in a six-point win over Siena in the first round and 13 more free throws in a 23-point win over TCU in the second round.

Typically, the better team will receive more fouls because opposing defenses struggle to contain better offensive play, especially with a team like that Duke that attacks the glass from the paint.

With that being said, many people on social media question the Blue Devils getting that many more free throws than an extremely talented St. John’s team.

Some people think NCAA officials are giving the “Duke whistle” to the Blue Devils this spring by giving them a questionable amount of calls as the No. 1 overall seed.

“i have pointed out the disparity of duke’s FT’s for years… a duke fan informed me it is because they are just so aggresive to the basket.. not buying it.. but you can look up the numbers… but maybe i am not objective..,” wrote a fan.

“Duke getting got wrapped a trip to the elite eight is just disgusting work by the ncaa. Why people have no trust in anything anymore. No one can say this isn’t rigged at this point,” argued a poster.

“It’s always a key player getting early foul trouble, rinse and repeat. Formula giving undeserving wins for decades. Duke whistle is repulsive,” posted another.

“Duke fans trying to justify that a Duke whistle doesn’t exist in March is genuinely laughable. Anyone with eyes knows Duke was better than Siena and TCU they win that game without the calls. That is not the case last night. Every 50/50 call went dukes way and it decided the game,” believes a fan.

“Duke does get all the calls. 24 free throws to 8. Make it make sense, Duke has gotten the whistle more than any other team they’ve played in the tournament. they’re playing good but refs sure have been on their side as well,” posted another.

“This…. Is not at all shocking. Duke is always going to get the best whistle, but this year’s team has a dominant inside presence and guards who drive to the basket constantly. They draw contact and make the officials call it by exaggerating that contact,” commented a poster.

For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.

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