The argument isn't about the timing it's that they called it loose all game. Changing to call it tight at the end would be embarrassing. They called it the same way throughout. That's good officiating and both teams adjusted to that and played to the looser whistle.
Incompetence in the past does not justify further incompetence in the present. This is not a ticky-tack foul that could go uncalled in a "physical" game. It was a clear, obvious foul on TWO UCONN players. The video that was quoted above, which showed a no-call on a fast break, was the kind of foul that goes uncalled in a loosely officiated game. This is a critical moment of the game where the refs really have to get it right, and they failed to do so.
This reminds me of the NFC Championship game. The refs in the game let a lot of physical play go throughout the game, allowing defensive backs to hit opposing receivers. At a critical point of the game, a key third down for Tampa that if they got it would ice the game, Brady threw a pass over the middle and the Green Bay defender clearly pulled a handful of the Tampa player's jersey. DPI was called, a first down was given, and Tampa won the game. Green Bay fans were livid that during a game that had been called very loosely, the referees would make that call. However, the rules exist for a reason and in that decisive moment, Green Bay violated them and were penalized accordingly. To not have called that penalty at such a critical juncture would have made a complete mockery of the rules themselves.
I'm all for letting a lot of stuff go in most sports; I think we can all agree that watching two teams compete hard in a game with little stoppages in play for enforcement of the rules is entertaining. However, you simply can't ignore the rules completely, especially in the critical moments of the game. People seem to think that in the closing moments of the game, refs should be LESS strict in how they enforce the rules, when that doesn't make any real logical sense. With each possession being so important to the outcome of the game, they should be more strict in how they enforce the rules. That is why you typically see more stoppages in play and calls being made in the final minutes of games.
To put it another way, if we use the "they were letting things go all game" defense, that would seem to suggest that therefore NOTHING could be called a foul in the final moments to avoid the slippery slope argument that is being presented here. Because this was a very clear and obvious foul, and it is a shame that it will overshadow what was a very entertaining game.