UW coach Lorenzo Romar publicly reprimanded by Pac-12 for commenting on officiating

Lorenzo Romar's Huskies lost Wednesday to Oregon State on a controversial last-second shot. (AP)

A day after UW men’s basketball coach Lorenzo Romar protested Washington’s last-second 82-81 loss to Oregon State, the Pac-12 Conference has announced he has been reprimanded for making public comments about the officiating in the Wednesday game.

“The Pac-12 has specific rules that prohibit our coaches from making public comments about officiating,” Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. “We have an obligation to our membership to enforce the conference rules which they have approved. As a part of our officiating program, there is a protocol in place for our coaches to provide feedback directly to the coordinator of officials.”

Romar protested that the game clock was started late after the ball was inbounded on the final play of Wednesday’s game that resulted in Oregon State’s Stephen Thompson hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. He also publicly inferred that a traveling call was missed on the play, which is the likely reason for the reprimand.

The loss to the Beavers was a big hit to the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament hopes. At 14-12 overall and 8-8 in Pac-12 play, Washington is the outside of the bubble of most projections for the 68-team bracket.

Washington has two remaining regular season games – Sunday at No. 13 Oregon and next Wednesday vs. WSU – but a Pac-12 tournament win may end up being its only hope to getting bid in the NCAA Tournament.