After whistle hastens Samford’s exit from March Madness, the referee could be next

The referee who blew the critical whistle that worked against Samford at the end of its loss to Kansas in the NCAA Tournament might be following the Bulldogs straight out of town. The NCAA said it does not comment on judgment calls, meaning one way to determine its take on the end of the Kansas 93-89 win might be to see if referee Lamar Simpson is assigned to either of Saturday's games in Salt Lake City. Simpson was behind the play with 14.7 seconds left Thursday night when Samford's A.J. Staton-McCray caught up to Nicolas Timberlake and blocked his layup from behind.