Media Bashing

[HuskyNan]

This will follow UConn until Paige graduates unfortunately. Especially if they win the championship this year. It will be replayed at every Sweet 16, Elite 8, and Final Four for the next three years, with “they were lucky” sentiments

Doubt it. ESPN picks a play or player to focus on each season. How many times did we see Arike hit the game winning shot? Anyone but UConn and ND fans remember it now?

 

[GoUconn7961]

Interesting. Didn't we feel about Tennessee then, the way everyone feels about us now?

They say it's lonely at the top for a reason, but would you want to be anywhere else?

 

[JordyG]

Last point. From what I can see in this game, in a lot of this tourney much of Paige and UConn has been front and center on people's minds and lips. This "controversy" has placed UConn and WCBB at the lead story on just about every sports channel and wire service. I'm of the opinion that any publicity is good publicity, especially for WCBB which, let's face it UConn lovers, is a niche sport. Much of the negative press (not all) has come from people who rarely if ever watch WBB. But they do know UConn wins, and in their minds perhaps, too much. Reporters are human too and ignorance and bias are more than memes. Most people in the country want to see UConn knocked down a peg or two. None of it bothers me. Tomorrow the media will move onto something else. This media "bashing" may rankle some here on The BY but I say anything that keeps the focus on WBB is a good thing, and I'll take it for as long as I can.

 

[hart2hart]

I occasionally turn on to watch NBA.
Well——Lebron is a big crybaby. He never fouls and is always complaining about the calls not going his way. Seriously Lebron it’s part of the game. Listen to Geno’s press conference last night......It’s part of the game......Bravo, Geno!

 

[huskyd]

And besides, I personally dread the arrival of the day when most folks are indifferent to a UConn win or loss...a day, alas, that will, eventually, inevitably come. I don’t get all the hand-wringing on our forum about which folks “hate” UConn, especially when it comes to the announcers. C’mon, my friends, isn’t that just as we wish it to be? That’s why the ending of the game in some measure of overblown controversy is so terrific! More fodder for the haters to hate, hatred in which they are more than welcome to wallow while our favorite team head off to another Final Four. Enjoy this!

the arrival of the day when most folks are indifferent to a UConn win or loss...a day, alas, that will, eventually, inevitably come

What?! "Inevitably come"? When? I'm getting very old and would like to go my reckoning with eyes on UConn wcbb. That will "inevitably" end you say?
At the moment I choose to focus on the coming weekend and not beyond. Why spoil things with intimations of mortality?

 

[Cuango]

These people aren't anti UConn. They are anti terrible officiating

Wrong! While most people are indeed against poor officiating, the anti- UConn bias is very real. It is, to some extent, understandable as UConn has basically run roughshod over women’s basketball for the past 30 years but in this particular instance it is more mean-spirited and spiteful!
I’m sure Kim knows deep down that this game was lost mostly due to two things. One; her best defensive player was injured at a crucial juncture of the game. Two; she allowed UConn to score 19 unanswered points without calling a timeout! All this is a petty tantrum over losing a game to the only program that trumps her own. Imo, any coach that allows a run like that without a timeout, deserves to lose! Sure, the last play may have been a foul. There are countless examples of bad calls. Many of them happened in this very game! Kim needs to deal with it and stop whining!

 

[Waquoit]

I’ve seen a few columns killing Mulkey today. Her outburst helped UConn immensely.

 

[Cuango]

Agreed. I really feel for this kids that this will be the legacy of at least this years tournament.

If they win the championship, I don’t think it will bother them too much! Especially if they go on and dominate the next three years as many of us think/hope they will. I believe Geno will talk to them ( I’m sure he already has) about not allowing something that is completely disconnected from their efforts to take away the joy and pride of their accomplishment. They didn’t make that call and, I think it’s fair to say that they all saw the myriad fouls that were not called against Baylor earlier in the game.

 

[delawarehusky]

I’ve seen a few columns killing Mulkey today. Her outburst helped UConn immensely.

please post links so we can read them. Thanks.

 

[CajunHusky]

That picture of Carrington on ESPNW taking the shot clearly shows Edwards hand on the ball - that's a block. I have always been told that with a block any incidental contact after that is just that incidental. I can see why the refs didn't call it. They weren't going to decide the game.

Carrington took a bad shot. Was Saniya fouled when she drove on the basket at the end of the Mississippi State FF quarterfinal that ended UConn 111 game run?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Lebron's tweet was borderline classless, imo. I mean, the guy has a reputation for getting bailed out by refs his whole career. But, it verged on disrespectful to Geno & the way UConn played. If you tweet the bad call, at least give some props to UConn for playing well.

Lebron suffers a disease common to all celebrities who are surrounded by suck ups, many paid. He genuinely believes the world is holding its breath for his take on it - it being anything and everything.

 

[rexdom75]

Lebron's tweet was borderline classless, imo. I mean, the guy has a reputation for getting bailed out by refs his whole career. But, it verged on disrespectful to Geno & the way UConn played. If you tweet the bad call, at least give some props to UConn for playing well.

Who cares about Lebron. UCONN played well and deserved to win. The UCONN players played hard and didn’t mug their opponents. Paige got mugged several times and only 1 of them was called a foul.

 

[jaundicedeye]

I’ve seen a few columns killing Mulkey today. Her outburst helped UConn immensely.

Good. Any links to share?

 

[darkstar1]

What's been really interesting is the reaction of Carolyn Peck to that play. Multiple times she has said, yes that was a foul. In fact she says, Carrington was fouled twice on that play. But, she says as I've said continually over the years, one play doesn't make or define a win or a loss. Further, she says the refs let the players play all game long, and she's cited the fouls on Paige all game and the foul on CW on her transition layup which was right in front of the ref. Her take was that the refereeing was consistent. Consistently bad. She feels if the refs want to let the players decide the game let them decide it at the FT line. She also picked Baylor to win the championship early on, but since UConn beat them she's thrown her allegiance to Stanford. But that's another story.

On The BY many posters over the years commend refs when they "let the players play", except in cases like last night when it clearly benefits the bigger and more physical team. I'm ambivalent about this. To me the let them play attitude has merit, until someone gets hurt, especially a star player. Remember, that is who most of the physicality is going to be concentrated on. But I also don't want to see the endless march to the foul line some refs prefer, especially before conference and NCAA tournaments. So what are we left with? Refs that walk that narrow line of calling it like I see it; most of the time anyway. Some then swallow their whistles in the final quarter, some don't. People on The BY have always expressed their dislike for Dee Kanter, but Dee calls the game consistent from end to end. You may not like her calls, or her style, or you may question her competence. But she is consistent.

Ben Franklin once said that consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. I’ll take refs with such little minds any day.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Lebron's tweet was borderline classless, imo. I mean, the guy has a reputation for getting bailed out by refs his whole career. But, it verged on disrespectful to Geno & the way UConn played. If you tweet the bad call, at least give some props to UConn for playing well.

He is the anti-Kobe in every way!!

 

[Orangutan]

LeBron and UConn women's basketball both seem to draw an irrational amount of ire from fans...

If only there was some obvious common bond...

 

[Husky pride]

It's totally out of control today, social media trolls, sports writers, network announcers with the whining and complaining of the "no foul" call. Didn't see or hear the same peanut gallery when TAMU won their first two tournament games by questionable officiating. Just because everyone wants to take down the Huskies, the bandwagon is overflowing. LaBron James, of all people, who gets more calls or no calls going his way, has the audacity to pipe in his two worthless cents. Debbie Antonelli was another one spewing nonsense during the Indiana/Arizona game! Baylor, their coach, and most of their team, displayed a level of poor sportsmanship which hurts the game! It's part of the game folks, get over it!

This could not be any more true! I guess we’re asked to believe that this was a FIRST.....that in the closing seconds of a hotly contested key game , a controversial call, at times, fails to prompt a whistle. Also, is it any wonder that at times we look down on ESPN over their negative reaction and lack of positive reaction to Uconn. ( Voepel, to her credit does, in a recent article, cite three controversial calls during this very tournament —one being the call against Troy in their loss to Texas A & M in the first round that would have constituted a major upset by a #15 seed beating a 2-seed. . I guess LeBron, and his fellow critics, just didn’t happen to be watching—or could it be that the “Troy’s” of the world simply wouldn’t elicit the same type of headlines for capturing their “all knowing” remarks!!

 

[Skeets]

THIS!!! I admittedly have not watched many of the lady's games, but watched this one. I have never seen a basketball game without at least 15 to 20 missed or non calls. You want to pick just one? Setting the bar pretty low-Ms. Mulkey, the 19 to 0 run cost your team the game, not one call.

Exactly right on point. How can you blame the last non-call in a game where such a foul would have been considered less than incidental contact based on how the previous 39+ minutes were called? In (very minor) defense of the refs, watching the play in real time, admittedly from not an optimal camera angle, it wasn't clear if it was clean stuff or a foul. Only with slo-mo, which the refs didn't have, did the contact appear. Could it be Baylor let UCONN go on a 19-0 run be responsible for the loss? Nah, can't be. As far as LeMoron is concerned, who cares? Go back to shilling for China.

 

[HuskyNan]

Ben Franklin once said that consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. I’ll take refs with such little minds any day.

Actually the quote is, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”, and it was Ralph Waldo Emerson. But Ben had some great quotes too

 

[UConnCat]

Baylor and Tennessee were involved in a controversial ending back in 2004. It was a Sweet 16 game and Baylor was called for a foul right as the clock expired in a tied game. Two players were going for a loose ball off a rebound of a missed layup. The Baylor player was called for the foul. Not only was there a question about whether a foul should have been called, but the refs had to look at replay to decide if time had expired before the contact.

Foul call was upheld. Tennessee shot two FTs and won the game.

 

[DaBball]

 

[HuskyNan]

Baylor and Tennessee were involved in a controversial ending back in 2004. It was a Sweet 16 game and Baylor was called for a foul right as the clock expired in a tied game. Two players were going for a loose ball off a rebound of a missed layup. The Baylor player was called for the foul. Not only was there a question about whether a foul should have been called, but the refs had to look at replay to decide if time had expired before the contact.

Foul call was upheld. Tennessee shot two FTs and won the game.

Wasn’t there a shot clock issue that handed a game to a team one year as well?

Heck Texas A&M had two controversial game endings. Where’s the outrage?

 

[j66kicker]

THIS!!! I admittedly have not watched many of the lady's games, but watched this one. I have never seen a basketball game without at least 15 to 20 missed or non calls. You want to pick just one? Setting the bar pretty low-Ms. Mulkey, the 19 to 0 run cost your team the game, not one call.

Kim pretty much said this. “The story of this game is... [Didi getting hurt]”

 

[UConnCat]

Wasn’t there a shot clock issue that handed a game to a team one year as well?

Heck Texas A&M had two controversial game endings. Where’s the outrage?

There was Rutgers v Tennessee in 2008 but it was not a NCAA tournament game. The game clock at TBA froze at 0.02 seconds which allowed a foul to be called on a Rutgers player on an offensive rebound/put-back. The Tenn player made the FTs and Tenn won the game. That was a regular season game.

 

[Bama fan]

It is frustrating, people just want Uconn to lose, and it appears NCAA, and ESPN want anybody but Uconn. But, I like your thoughts, and lets enjoy Uconn and to hell with the Haters.

They do not care who wins or loses. They care how many views they get from making a big fuss. If it were tiddlywinks, they would create a winks/squidgers hullabaloo just to encourage people to look. And most people don't know a wink from a squidger anyway, but would be indignant about the whole thing. ESPN and other media want you to look, and it makes no difference why you look. Thank god UConn has an ice cream store and not a pizza joint! Then there would be a row and a ruction!

 

[FairView]

Totally non-related question for Topogigio (the OP):
Do you keep in touch with the plate-spinning guy?
How's he doing?

 

[UcMiami]

On The BY many posters over the years commend refs when they "let the players play", except in cases like last night when it clearly benefits the bigger and more physical team. I'm ambivalent about this. To me the let them play attitude has merit, until someone gets hurt, especially a star player. Remember, that is who most of the physicality is going to be concentrated on. But I also don't want to see the endless march to the foul line some refs prefer, especially before conference and NCAA tournaments. So what are we left with? Refs that walk that narrow line of calling it like I see it; most of the time anyway. Some then swallow their whistles in the final quarter, some don't. People on The BY have always expressed their dislike for Dee Kanter, but Dee calls the game consistent from end to end. You may not like her calls, or her style, or you may question her competence. But she is consistent.

When I say, 'let them play' about the refs, I am referring to the games where they are constantly calling touch fouls 30 feet from the basket. There are games where one team or both teams decide to play a rugby style of hard contact at all times and that kind of play is both dangerous and leads to really ugly basketball. Officials can sometimes rein that in with some decisive early foul calls, but not always.

I never want officials to ignore the kind of grabbing and swatting that prevents players from getting a shot off. Or the grabbing and clutching that allows free movement of players around the court.

I think this tournament has had a number of games where the 'let them play' attitude of the refs was really borderline or went over the line. I saw that Tara complained after I think their second round game (which I didn't watch.) One of the problems for the NCAA women is they need 46 games reffed in 4 days and you get a wide range of officials working. I don't think they even have 50 really good experienced refs, which is why during the season when the 'important' games are more spaced out you see the same faces over and over.

 

[BostonBay]

I’ve seen a few columns killing Mulkey today. Her outburst helped UConn immensely.

Mulkey is getting old. The young Mulkey would have taken her jacket off at the end of the game & thrown it into the 1st row!

 

[fly2themoon]

It's totally out of control today, social media trolls, sports writers, network announcers with the whining and complaining of the "no foul" call. Didn't see or hear the same peanut gallery when TAMU won their first two tournament games by questionable officiating. Just because everyone wants to take down the Huskies, the bandwagon is overflowing. LaBron James, of all people, who gets more calls or no calls going his way, has the audacity to pipe in his two worthless cents. Debbie Antonelli was another one spewing nonsense during the Indiana/Arizona game! Baylor, their coach, and most of their team, displayed a level of poor sportsmanship which hurts the game! It's part of the game folks, get over it!

As you stated, where were the media when Texas A&M got no calls twice in a row in the tournament? All of sudden, the media jump up and down when no call was made only when the Huskies are involved. Shouldn’t they have known any sporting events need officials who are only humans? And officiating, whether good or bad, is necessary evil. I have hard time differentiating between biased and incompetent.

 

[CL82]

This will follow UConn until Paige graduates unfortunately. Especially if they win the championship this year. It will be replayed at every Sweet 16, Elite 8, and Final Four for the next three years, with “they were lucky” sentiments

Lol, no.