Iowa City, Iowa - On Monday night, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes narrowly escaped their NCAA Second Round scare, clinching a late 64-54 victory over West Virginia and raising eyebrows along the way.

The game was a nail-biter, tied with less than two minutes left before Iowa managed to pull ahead.

However, both fans and basketball experts are questioning the officiating, suggesting it may have played a role in Iowa's late surge.

In total, West Virginia was called for 27 fouls compared to Iowa's 11. During the final run, West Virginia received six fouls.

USA Today's Dan Wolken expressed frustration, saying, "This is absurd. Absolutely infuriating. I feel for the West Virginia team. They've played a better game than Iowa and they're not going to get rewarded at all. Hope these refs don't advance."

NBA All-Star Damian Lillard also weighed in, tweeting, "I feel like West Virginia women's team getting did bad by these refs."

This game is part of a broader trend in the March Madness tournament, where there have been questions about officiating favoring certain teams – especially underdogs – leading to suspicions that some are being favored for strategic reasons.

The recent Iowa vs. West Virginia game isn't the only one that's sparked debate about officiating.

LSU's victory over Middle Tennessee on the women's side and Arizona's win against Dayton in the Second Round of the men's tournament, along with Houston's overtime triumph over Texas A&M, all had fans buzzing about the calls made.

Officiating in real-time is tough, especially compared to slow-motion replays, but some fans can't help but wonder if certain teams are getting favorable calls to boost ratings.

Yes, ratings – the lifeblood of college athletics, closely tied to business, power, and money.

This year's March Madness has seen a huge surge in viewership since the tournament began. Saturday's games alone averaged 10.8 million viewers across TBS, TNT, CBS, and TruTV, making it the most-watched first day of the Second Round in tournament history, according to the NCAA.

With such high stakes, it's no surprise that some believe certain teams might be getting a helping hand to keep advancing. For instance, if defending champions LSU and Iowa both make it to the Elite Eight, fans could be treated to a rematch of last year's NCAA championship game, which would likely draw even more viewers.

But for that to happen, these teams must win, and some argue that their success has been aided by referees.

March Madness has kicked off with thrilling upsets, but the officiating has left something to be desired.