Lights Malfunction As Arkansas-Little Rock Prepares To Take Final Shot Down 66-64

If you're a gambling conspiracy guy, you're going to love what went down Friday night at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana where the Ragin Cajuns were up two with five seconds to go as Arkansas-Little Rock prepared to take a final shot for the win. The LIGHTS WENT OUT.

Seriously, it's right there on film for all to see. The lights fully illuminate with about two seconds to play and Little Rock gets off a final shot that doesn't go in. You're probably thinking this is where the refs step in, call the action dead, go to the monitor to figure out how much time was on the clock when the lights went out and then replay the final five seconds.

It didn't happen. Louisiana wins 66-64 and the Sun Belt Conference had no choice but to release a statement over the matter.

"Unfortunately, the last few seconds of the Little Rock at Louisiana men’s basketball game this evening were not managed properly by the officiating crew," the Sun Belt said. "Play should have been immediately stopped when an issue with the arena lighting occurred. The crew should have awarded Little Rock the ball out of bounds with five seconds on the clock to complete the last sequence. Regrettably, this did not occur. Officiating is a very difficult job, but our schools, players, coaches and fans deserve the best and we will continue to strive to meet that standard."

KATC sports director Andrew Clay reports that it's tradition for the lights to go out after Louisiana games.

Did someone working the lights button have Louisiana on the moneyline? Crazier things have happened in college basketball betting history. Remember how the mafia owned the Boston College program back in the late 1970s?

In case you were wondering, OddsShark listed Little Rock as a 1-point favorite for Friday's game.