Sooners survive brutal NCAA Tournament whistle fest that had fans completely irate

The refs in Norman might blow a whistle before you finish reading this.

Oklahoma fans, and even women's college basketball fans in general, were irate Sunday night while watching the No. 4 seed Sooners and No. 5 Michigan State's NCAA Tournament second-round game at Lloyd Noble Center as the refs completely stole the show with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.

Oklahoma fans furious at officiating during OU's win over Michigan State

In what was a perfect 4 vs. 5 March Madness matchup that was back and forth almost the whole time, the refs still almost made the tight contest unwatchable on ESPN with stoppage after stoppage and not just letting the athletes play. And in a game that close, a few calls could have been the difference in the outcome.

Ultimately, the Sooners accomplished a comeback and prevailed 77-71 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. OU will head to Sacramento, California, next week and play the winner from Monday night's matchup between No. 1 South Carolina and No. 9 USC.

The horrible reffing on Sunday escalated in the third quarter as the refs called a whopping 13 fouls in just that 10-minute span, averaging over a call a minute. Of the 13 fouls called during the quarter, seven were against the Sooners.

The electric crowd at Lloyd Noble Center rightfully let the refs hear it after each horrible call, and those at home also used social media to vent their frustrations.

The foul count ultimately ended up at 38 between both teams. Michigan State had the most at 21 thanks to intentional fouls near the end of the game while trying to catch back up. However, even with the intentional fouls late, the third quarter still had the most fouls called as the total was at 32 with 16 for both teams heading into the fourth quarter.

As the stakes are raised each game, OU fans can only hope the officiating improves and matches the importance of the game.