Credit where credit is due, Notre Dame had an incredible season. That came as a shock to no one, however, because Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles have been amazing this year. The Fighting Irish backcourt, undersized at the one, was a veritable offensive machine! However, after this game, everyone knows that Hailey Van Lith has got next! The Horned Frogs traipsed over the fallen Fighting Irish to secure an Elite Eight berth. Their dominant 71-62 showing really hammered the nail in Notre Dame’s coffin.

And it was Van Lith who stole the show! The former LSU star dropped a game-high 26 points on nearly 50% from the field. Not only that, she crashed the glass hard, and played some proper defense. There’s no doubt that the five-foot-nine senior is league-bound. She’s a pro if there ever was one.

It was a sad ending to a wonderful season for Hidalgo and Miles. Both players broke records left, right, and center, showing just how good they really are. Miles’ season-long showing was particularly impressive after dealing with her fair share of injuries. But this is not the way they would’ve wanted to go out. Notre Dame was looking for a championship, and it was evidently not to be.

However, the NCAA community believes that there was some fishy officiating involved with their victory. Olivia Miles wasn’t getting any calls, securing only two foul shots in twenty-three minutes. Not to mention, it looked like TCU was getting away with a lot, and the pace being dictated by the officials was heavily skewed towards Hailey Van Lith and her Horned Frogs.

But how exactly did the public react to the supposedly biased officiating? Let’s find out!

Fans call out officials after heart-breaking Notre Dame loss

Social media, as expected, blew up. Complaints mounting against officiating have been a common theme this year, both in the men’s and women’s tournaments. But to see it happen against some of the biggest pairs in the game? Obviously, fans had their piece to say.

The NCAA community did not react well to the matchup’s outcome. “This Notre Dame TCU game is one of the worst officiated games in women’s college basketball history. Absolutely painful to watch. This officiating crew should never work another game.” One fan said on X, holding nothing back against the game officials. This was a relatively common sentiment amongst supporters. “Refs are absolutely screwing Notre Dame against TCU.” Another user tweeted.

It seemed like everywhere you went, you’d find someone complaining about the officiating in the Notre Dame game. “The refs are the 6 man of the year for TCU in this Notre Dame game. God damn it’s not even subtle.” Another fan said on X, giving the referees a piece of their mind.

There was one player that a few fans highlighted. Sedona Prince, the Horned Frogs center, seemed to be playing quite rough on the hardwood floor. And obviously, Fighting Irish supporters were not pleased. “The refs cheating like hell for tcu how is Sedona not in foul trouble lol she’s fouling everyone.” A supporter said, while another agreed without naming anyone. “This refs are calling fouls on Notre Dame . But TCU is getting away with a lot.”

There’s no doubt that a matchup of this size would make headlines, but it happened for the wrong reasons. Hailey Van Lith’s fabulous performance is being overshadowed by a league-wide concern about officiating, and it’s not fair to the young star. However, this might be a problem that needs to be addressed. Either way, our focus is on the Elite Eight, and the journey HVL has going forward. Will she be able to reach the championship game? Can TCU take home a national title this year? Only time will tell.