Duke inbound against Virginia Tech. Jan 23, 2023; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Mark Mitchell (25) sets to pass to guard Tyrese Proctor (5) against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Lee Luther Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

The Duke Blue Devils took on the Virginia Tech Hokies on Monday in an ACC basketball game that went down to the wire. However, a questionable no-call at the end of the game certainly had a massive impact on the end result.

The play occurred with just 13.3 seconds remaining in the game after a clutch shot from Hokies freshman Michael Collins Jr.

This shot gave Virginia Tech a two-point lead late in the game. Collins was undoubtedly overexcited by the shot, proceeding to accidentally punch Duke’s Kyle Filipowski in the neck.

Filipowski was clearly affected by this, but no call was made on the play. Duke ultimately went on to lose after missing on their next possession.

The college basketball world took notice of this play and most believe that a flagrant foul should have been called.

There was obviously no clear intent from Collins, but that isn’t a factor on a potential flagrant 1 foul.

According to the NCAA rulebook on flagrant fouls, anything “unnecessary or avoidable” and “uncalled for” should be called for a flagrant 1 foul.

“A flagrant 1 foul is two shots and the ball and that means excessive in nature or unnecessary or avoidable, uncalled for or not required by the circumstances of the play,” the rulebook reads.

There were certainly other factors that went into the loss for Duke, including an uncharacteristic poor defensive game. They average just 63.5 points allowed on the year and Virginia Tech far exceeded this with 78 points on the night.

If this call were made, Duke would have been given two free throws while maintaining possession. Instead, this loss is a devastating one against a Virginia Tech team coming in with a seven-game losing streak.

[Virginia Tech Men’s Basketball on Twitter]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.