It was a top ten matchup on Monday night in the Big 12 as Houston visited Iowa State. Iowa State took the victory, 70-67. As Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson prepared his squad for their next game, some people were still dwelling on the loss.

One of those people with some dissatisfaction around the game is Michael DeCourcy of The Sporting News, who took to X, formerly Twitter, after the game to voice his displeasure with the refs.

“We’ve all seen bad calls in college basketball, but Houston just lost a firm grip on its game at Iowa State because an official couldn’t tell a hand from a foot. Think about that,” DeCourcy posted.

With just over six minutes left to go in the second half, Iowa State had the ball and was down by eight. Tamin Lipsey tried to place a pass between two Houston defenders, but Joseph Tugler deflected the ball, and it was stolen by Isiah Harwell. Harwell had a clear path to the basket, in what would have been a ten-point Houston lead. Still, the play was called a kickball by the refs on Tugler.

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The ball is clearly deflected by Tugler's hand, and does not come in contact with his foot, or the foot of Harwell. Tugler raced over to Sampson, pleading for some sort of official review, but a kickball is not a play that can be reviewed.

Iowa State would hit a three when they got the ball back, making it just a five-point game. While DeCourcy was upset after the game, Sampson did not dwell on the event, per Joseph Duarte of The Houston Chronicle.

“We had our opportunities,” Sampson said. “That’s how you win. It’s also how you lose.”

The Cougars are now 23-3 on the season, and have more big games coming up. On Saturday, they will host Arizona before visiting Kansas next Monday.