Can we talk about NCAA officiating?

[high-post]

It's horrendous. Quite a few bad calls and non-calls, which seems to be the norm at this level of basktball. Just, for example, Niels clearly got fouled on that 3 pointer at the buzzer.
Honestly, people like to criticize the NBA, but college refs are god awful compared to NBA officials. And they're probably just as corrupt.
Yeah, yeah, I know, boo hoo, blame it on the officials, but still, it's frustrating.

 

[HooperScooper]

If you think college refs stink, go watch high school or lower levels. I help coach a 5th grade travel team and the reffing is horrendous. I've come to realize how good NBA refs are compared to everything else. I must admit it's a tough game to officiate. Lots of moving and contact and lots going on to look at. No matter how bad you think NBA refs are they are great when you compare them to every other level.

 

[PomonaHusky]

If you think college refs stink, go watch high school or lower levels. I help coach a 5th grade travel team and the reffing is horrendous. I've come to realize how good NBA refs are compared to everything else. I must admit it's a tough game to officiate. Lots of moving and contact and lots going on to look at. No matter how bad you think NBA refs are they are great when you compare them to every other level.

Agree 100%. While coaching a 13U team a few years back, we had one ref that was talking on his cell phone while 'reffing' a game, during live action. We had two refs get into an argument and start pushing each other because one of them didn't know what an "arm bar" was. We even had one young ref quit in the middle of a game because he realized he was doing a horrible job (I give him a lot of credit for coming to that realization). Yeah, 'reffing' at those lower levels is atrocious.

 

[ctchamps]

Not defending refs but they are caught in the media dilemma. Most coaches know that refs will sit on the whistle because the media doesn't want the games to be played on the foul line. So they'll encourage their players to hand check, set moving screens, bump players as they move and so on knowing that the refs won't call all the fouls. The only way this can change is to reduce the number of players on a team, and that can't happen because of risk of injuries.

There is a reason scores are getting progressively lower. It is the deployment of this tactic. Pitt has done it for years. UConn's small roster puts it at a disadvantage this season because when one or two key players get in foul trouble, the other players end up getting fatigued at the end of games. But it demonstrates how less players on a team could reverse this trend.

 

[housekeys]

No matter how bad you think NBA refs are they are great when you compare them to every other level.

That's saying something.

Actually, I am more peeved by the rules and how they are interpreted. Here is what I am talking about:

1) The only way you can tie-up someone is if they are grabbing the ball face-to-face. It should be a foul in all other circumstances.

2) Clipping is a penalty in football, but in basketball, if a player is going after a loose ball, it is considered a great defensive play. BS. It should always be a foul, I don't care if you get to the ball first.

3) Hand checking 30 feet from the basket is a foul (depending on the way the planets are aligned) but forearms to the body, clutching and grabbing as player drives to the basket is allowed. BS. Every time a player gets beat on the dribble, the forearms come down and are firmly pressing against the driving player. That should be a foul.

4) Take a page from soccer rules. Typically the offensive player should have the benefit of the doubt in any case of 50-50 contact. The offensive player has certain rights to move simply because they have possession of the ball.

I know all of the above can be knit-picked to death, but that is my view.

 

[PomonaHusky]

Really, the only thing you can ask is that they (officials) are consistent. If they (officials) are allowing the game to get physical, then you need to get physical. If they are calling it tight, then you need to be less aggressive defensively. Some (many) rules are up to interpretation by the officials, so you need to adjust. While some infractions may seem obvious, there may not be a rule that directly addresses that specific 'infraction', thus it is left up to interpretation (including several of the items listed above: i.e. is it a hand check or an arm bar? Can a ref see that the defenders arm was fully extended for a fraction of a second while trying to watch for other infractions? Was the offensive player dislodged? If not, play on.) Some infractions are only called if a player gains a competitive advantage...how does one interpret that?
What I dislike at the HS level here in CA, is the desire to call a charge on almost every close (and not so close) block-charge contact (the Coach K effect). It is actually dangerous as kids are frequently undercutting offensive players in the air, leading to some dangerous falls.