Auburn’s heartbreaking loss to Virginia in the Final Four won’t be forgotten anytime soon by its passionate fanbase.

We all know what happened: Auburn lost 63-62 in a game the Tigers seemingly had in control until officiating decided the outcome over the final three seconds.

Auburn led 62-60 with 1.5 seconds left when Tigers guard Bryce Brown fouled Ty Jerome. Ninety seconds earlier, Jerome double-dribbled, but the officials missed the call. Jerome found Kyle Guy in the corner to attempt a game-winning three-point shot. Samir Dougty fouled Guy as time expired. Guy calmly hit all three free throws for the Cavaliers’ one-point win.

Social media exploded after the contest and the national media was also in an uproar, sympathizing with the dejected Tiger fanbase.

Auburn fans should be irate over losing a contest that was decided by a referee’s whistle, not the players. I’ve always been in favor of letting the players determine results because they’re on the court.

There’s no doubt that Jerome double dribbled, but I felt the referees missed a foul before that. Brown fouled Jerome a second before Jerome lost control of the ball near mid-court. At midcourt, the Cavaliers would’ve had problems attempting a game-winning shot.

From where I sat watching the contest, that’s not where the game was lost.

I also believe that the foul called on Guy with 0.6 seconds left was the right call. Guy was definitely fouled.

I hear one commentator recommend having instant replay on basketball games in the final minute of regulation. I think that’s a bad idea because it will make games longer than two hours to finish and open up a Pandora’s box of chaos.

Here’s an idea, the NCAA should hire the best officials for its bigger contests. Maybe these things won’t happen at a big event like the national semifinals of college basketball.

I admired the class Auburn coach Bruce Pearl showed after a bone-crushing defeat, especially in the locker room to the team.

“We focused on how we were going to handle the defeat at Auburn: with class and dignity,” Pearl said. “There are lots of calls during the game. You’re going to get some, and some you’re not going to get.”

Auburn was a second away from playing and possibly winning its first-ever national title in basketball.  The Tigers reaching the Final Four should be remembered as a historic event, not on a bad officiating call. Auburn is the only team from Alabama to reach a Final Four, something that may not happen for a long, long time. Let’s enjoy the moment.