Too many fouls: Even LeBron James struggled to watch the NCAA championship game

Monday night’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament title game promised an intriguing match-up of two of the best teams in the country — college basketball power North Carolina and first-time Final Four participant Gonzaga.

Instead, the most talked-about part of North Carolina’s 71-65 victory was the officiating.

Even Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James had to vent about the excessive whistles and stoppages of play.

Dwayne Wade, James’ former teammate with the Miami Heat and now a member of the Chicago Bulls, also tweeted about the officiating.

Officials called 44 fouls in the game, 22 on each team. The teams shot a combined 52 free throws, 26 for each team. Due to all the fouls, the game lacked rhythm for much of the second half — and made viewing difficult for those at home.

Gonzaga forward Zach Collins fouled out of the game, while multiple players on both teams struggled with foul trouble throughout the game.

“Those were three of the best officials in the entire country — NBA, college or anything,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “These are two heavyweight teams going at it inside, playing really, really physical basketball. I had no issue whatsoever. I thought they did a fabulous job. It’s just not an easy game to ref.”

This story was originally published April 3, 2017 at 10:54 PM with the headline "Too many fouls: Even LeBron James struggled to watch the NCAA championship game."