Whenever I see horrible calls in major, BCS conference basketball, I reflect on times where I viewed mid-major and Division III basketball and thought to myself "At least this is better."
No more.
First and foremost, the second technical on Stanford's Trent Johnson was asanine at best. The whole "he came out of the box before the timeout was recognized" is bull.
It was a media timeout. What does the bench do when there is a deadball and they know a media timeout is coming? The managers put stools on the floor so the starters may sit.
Johnson deserved the first technical, the second was just horrible.
After the game, Stanford's coach put all the blame on himself. That is the politically-correct thing to do. The real response would have been fun, but dare the NCAA get mad and impose penalties because someone decides to stand up to those over-protected individuals known as referees.
I mess up at my job, I am reprimanded. Screw up numerous times, I am fired. Unless I am official. If I screw up less, I am promoted from a mid-major conference to a major conference.
Then comes the Duke-West Virginia battle. In the first five or so minutes, every travel and a double-dribble is called. Ok, fine.
And then, all of a sudden it became fine to switch pivot feet. Call it all or do not call it at all.
And what did we get this past off-season? An emphasis on the coach's box?
Try this, improve officiating and maybe the coaches will not leave the coaching box.
Referees screw up at least half of charge-block calls (Apparently, being in the air before the defender is set does not matter, it is a charge). So, NCAA basketball needs the circle under the hoop. Then maybe the wrong charge-block calls can improve to 25%.
But the argument is that the game has become to physical and if every call is made, everyone will foul out.
Where is the rule that this is illegal? All it takes is a few games at the beginning of the year where the refs call anything and everything.
Watch the coaches make changes.
And then they're officials who cannot stand up to the boos of the crowd. Call two straight fouls on one possesion on the home team, be ready for the boos. And the visiting team needs to make their next shot, or there will be a rebounding foul on the visitor (if not a bogus offense foul before the shot).
My other favorite is the officials sallowing whistles at the end of the game "to not decide the outcome." Not calling a foul when there is also decides the game.
This will continue until someone wins a national championship on a call.
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6 months ago
The ejection was deserved. See the NCAA's points of emphasis for this year. Do you want the officials to ignore the rule book or not?
6 months ago
If the officials would enforce other rules such as traveling, I would not be mad at the cosemtic stuff...
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