Wichita State vs. Kentucky officiating

[nelsonmuntz]

What happened in that game scares the hell out of me. It seemed that Kentucky got a foul called on almost every drive to the hoop in the second half, and I can not remember the last time a Randle miss was not called. There was one play where two Wichita State players got all ball and the officials gave Randle the call. The calls were certainly not working that way on the other end. The elbow to the face is the topper. The Kentucky player brought his arm up to clear out the Wichita player. Just because he didn't hit him hard doesn't mean it was not deliberate. There is not supposed to be any judgment on elbows to the face, but apparently that didn't apply yesterday.

Wichita State played a great game, but there is no way to overcome that kind of bias with the officiating. This happens quite a bit when a top mid-major plays a major, and the calls always seem to go the same way. Can anyone remember the last time a mid-major played a major and the major got hosed by the refs?

These games scare me, because we are a mid-major now, and some officiating crew could decide it is time for us to lose.

 

[CTBasketball]

Was thinking the same thing, but the way UK's players are built they create a lot of contact.

 

[huskyrob1]

What happened in that game scares the hell out of me. It seemed that Kentucky got a foul called on almost every drive to the hoop in the second half, and I can not remember the last time a Randle miss was not called. There was one play where two Wichita State players got all ball and the officials gave Randle the call. The calls were certainly not working that way on the other end. The elbow to the face is the topper. The Kentucky player brought his arm up to clear out the Wichita player. Just because he didn't hit him hard doesn't mean it was not deliberate. There is not supposed to be any judgment on elbows to the face, but apparently that didn't apply yesterday.

Wichita State played a great game, but there is no way to overcome that kind of bias with the officiating. This happens quite a bit when a top mid-major plays a major, and the calls always seem to go the same way. Can anyone remember the last time a mid-major played a major and the major got hosed by the refs?

These games scare me, because we are a mid-major now, and some officiating crew could decide it is time for us to lose.

How about 2006? Did UCONN get all the calls against Albany, Washington, and George Mason? JC came into the tourney with maybe the best team he ever had and the refs all over a major, one favored to win it all. I would not say they got hosed, a little too strong an accusation, but UCONN also didn't get every call or non call like Kentucky did yesterday, they had to fight and scrap for everything. JC got more than a few gray hairs in those 3 games thanks to the refs.

 

[mauconnfan]

There was no doubt if you're a Shocker fan you have a bitch….no doubt. It was horrendous and disgusting. The Harrison twins put their head down and go, if anyone touched them -whistle. Randle spun through 2 guys pivoted and made a shot and no one touched him - whistle. This all down an important stretch…….it is scary. Agenda's are a scary thing…….

 

[CTBasketball]

There was no doubt if you're a Shocker fan you have a bitch….no doubt. It was horrendous and disgusting. The Harrison twins put their head down and go, if anyone touched them -whistle. Randle spun through 2 guys pivoted and made a shot and no one touched him - whistle. This all down an important stretch…….it is scary. Agenda's are a scary thing…….

The NCAA wanted to prove a point. First they staked their region, then they try to screw them with fouls. Mission successful, Wichita St. is out and their deemed "another mid-major whose played no one."

 

[tzznandrew]

The two out of bounds calls in a row that went to UK down the stretch...same posssession, both off of UK and yet given back to them, was a particularly poorly called sequence. And that led to a Kentucky 3 that, I think, gave them the lead back.

 

[tzznandrew]

How about 2006? Did UCONN get all the calls against Albany, Washington, and George Mason? JC came into the tourney with maybe the best team he ever had and the refs all over a major, one favored to win it all. I would not say they got hosed, a little too strong an accusation, but UCONN also didn't get every call or non call like Kentucky did yesterday, they had to fight and scrap for everything. JC got more than a few gray hairs in those 3 games thanks to the refs.

Not against Albany, Kentucky, or George Mason, no, we didn't get all the calls.

But some of the calls we got against Washington were suspect.

 

[huskiesnyc]

I have to agree with Nelson for once on this. I watched the last 10 minutes and the officiating was "disturbing" to say the least. I don't remember a possession in the last 5 minutes where Kentucky didn't go to the line. The good news is Pitino will take corrupt officiating to a whole new level when they play. I could be wrong but I think I saw Mike Stuart reffing the game. Honestly that man belongs behind bars....

 

[BearJWS]

NCAA Cash Cows have been dropping like flies, so they had to do something to leave a headline maker in the tournament & someone to really hate!

I'll admit some of the fouls were legit against Whitcha State, but they refused to call fouls or travels on KenSucky at the end of the game when it was close. Expected? Yeah....

If you want to win, I say keep driving. They're going to call fouls. Especially if your outside shot isn't falling. Bazz does this very well.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

How about 2006? Did UCONN get all the calls against Albany, Washington, and George Mason? JC came into the tourney with maybe the best team he ever had and the refs all over a major, one favored to win it all. I would not say they got hosed, a little too strong an accusation, but UCONN also didn't get every call or non call like Kentucky did yesterday, they had to fight and scrap for everything. JC got more than a few gray hairs in those 3 games thanks to the refs.

No one on this board is going to talk rationally about UConn. Find another example.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

NCAA Cash Cows have been dropping like flies, so they had to do something to leave a headline maker in the tournament & someone to really hate!

I'll admit some of the fouls were legit against Whitcha State, but they refused to call fouls or travels on KenSucky at the end of the game when it was close. Expected? Yeah....

If you want to win, I say keep driving. They're going to call fouls. Especially if your outside shot isn't falling. Bazz does this very well.

Wichita was not getting the foul calls on the other end. Early got hammered a few times with no call.

I forgot to mention the travels. It seems that all of Kentucky's guards take 3 steps before putting the ball on the deck. I don't recall a single travel called.

 

[tzznandrew]

Another one: the Wichita State three that cut it to 1, and banked in, should have been an and-1. Kentucky kid obviously hit his elbow. The announcers tried to say that it somehow "helped" the shot, but that kid was money all night, and it banked in from about a 60-degree angle from the hoop. It was clearly way off, and he got lucky.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

There was a 2006 game that sticks out for me. Adam Morrison's last game. Gonzaga had a very good team, and a 20 point lead on UCLA in the second half, when Howland has his guys basically start tackling Gonzaga's guards. For the next 8 minutes or so, it was like a bad after-school special where the bad guy schools is cheating and the refs are looking the other way. I remember thinking at the time that the refs should just forfeit Gonzaga if they want UCLA to win so badly, because at least that way no one would get hurt.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Nothing stands out from the George Mason game in 2006, but I can not remember the last time we played a mid-major in the tournament where I was not happy with the officiating. Even against Nova, it was pretty physical down low and there were not a lot of fouls called. Archidiacono was flopping like a fish and drawing a few cheap calls that way, but overall, the officiating was more than fair.

 

[tzznandrew]

Nothing stands out from the George Mason game in 2006, but I can not remember the last time we played a mid-major in the tournament where I was not happy with the officiating. Even against Nova, it was pretty physical down low and there were not a lot of fouls called. Archidiacono was flopping like a fish and drawing a few cheap calls that way, but overall, the officiating was more than fair.

Agreed. I thought we got a very friendly whistle against Washington, and against Albany in the second half. Kentucky and George Mason were fairly officiated.

They let everyone play down low, which should have been an advantage to an experienced team that started 3 players taller than 6'9", and brought more off the bench, but instead it played to George Mason's favor. But I can't be too upset at that.

 

[Hume]

Mike Stuart was one of the refs for this game. I thought I saw him and looked at the box score afterwards and he was listed as one of the refs. This man should not ever referee a game let alone a tournament game. Also I wonder about his favoritism towards Kentucky schools.

 

[imno1]

The officiating has been horrible and inconsistent all year. Oh and instant replay in the last two minutes is BS. What the rest of the game is not as important. Out of bounds calls should either be reviewable all game or not at all.

 

[tzznandrew]

The officiating has been horrible and inconsistent all year. Oh and instant replay in the last two minutes is BS. What the rest of the game is not as important. Out of bounds calls should either be reviewable all game or not at all.

They're afraid it will make the game take too long. The problem is, most of these OOB calls are so obvious that the announcers and audience can look at the monitor for about 5 seconds and be done with it, but the officials feel the need to see like 8 angles for an easy call.

Some of the calls are difficult, but not that many.

Frankly, they should just institute a challenge rule like the NFL and be done with it. WSU would have challenged ONE of the OOB calls, gotten the ball back, and kept the lead. Instead, all they could do was b¡tch, and that wasn't enough.

 

[Gurleyman]

Nothing stands out from the George Mason game in 2006, but I can not remember the last time we played a mid-major in the tournament where I was not happy with the officiating. Even against Nova, it was pretty physical down low and there were not a lot of fouls called. Archidiacono was flopping like a fish and drawing a few cheap calls that way, but overall, the officiating was more than fair.

Biggest one with Mason was that Marcus Williams was called for palming with a minute left.

 

[tzznandrew]

Biggest one with Mason was that Marcus Williams was called for palming with a minute left.

Forgot about that. That was an awful call. But those happen a lot. It didn't feel consistently bad as UK-WSU did.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Biggest one with Mason was that Marcus Williams was called for palming with a minute left.

Yes, and in a game like that it only takes one subtle call to essentially decide the game. If you're an official, and you have an agenda, that's how you do it.

Not by allowing more contact on one end than another. Not by a series of block/charge calls in one team's favor. Those are too obvious (unlike you're officiating at dook, in which case it's entirely sanctioned).

You do it by calling something (palming) that could arguably be called on every single possession (holding in the NFL is similar), but do so at the most critical juncture of the game.

I'm not saying the officials in the GM game had an agenda. I do think they were emotionally caught up in the moment and in the decidedly anti-UConn crowd. Of course, if Josh Boone had any balls whatsoever, and bothered to be physical with any of their undersized big men, this whole discussion would be moot.

 

[Uconnrick]

There was no doubt if you're a Shocker fan you have a bitch….no doubt. It was horrendous and disgusting. The Harrison twins put their head down and go, if anyone touched them -whistle. Randle spun through 2 guys pivoted and made a shot and no one touched him - whistle. This all down an important stretch…….it is scary. Agenda's are a scary thing…….

Not only do they put their heads down and go, they use the ball to push off the defender. The first few times I saw it, I thought it just an odd occurrence but they do it regularly now. Refs don't call it so they continue to do it but it's like pushing off with 2 hands and it's easy to see.

 

[gtcam]

The NCAA wanted to prove a point. First they staked their region, then they try to screw them with fouls. Mission successful, Wichita St. is out and their deemed "another mid-major whose played no one."

it clearly sets the agenda and argument for ensuing years - they will not "waste" a number one seed on another mid-major, look at WSU who lost to a low seeded major.
my son and I were asking if that was actually UConn dressed in WSU uniforms because it looked like a game being officiated vs. Lville, Duke and Cinci
The officiating this year has been highly questionable at the least and horrible at best. It seems like in a majority of games there seems to be an agenda against one team or another. I know, unlikely but it just appears that way.

 

[huskyrob1]

Nothing stands out from the George Mason game in 2006, but I can not remember the last time we played a mid-major in the tournament where I was not happy with the officiating. Even against Nova, it was pretty physical down low and there were not a lot of fouls called. Archidiacono was flopping like a fish and drawing a few cheap calls that way, but overall, the officiating was more than fair.

Agree on UCONN's game against Nova, but the refs in the Kentucky game were kissing Calipari's @ss like he was Adolph Rupp. My point, in response to your original post was Calhoun was almost never got that "royalty" treatment in a close game like a Koach Krap would get, or a Dean Smith would get, but he should've, the guy is a HOF coach. Which is why I brought up 2006, some fair calls, yes, but never like what Kentucky got yesterday.

 

[DCUconnfan]

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I feel as though Duke was not getting every single call they normally get against Mercer, there were a few times i was thinking "great, the refs are going to bring this back forcing a duke win", and it didn't happen. I was even chatting with friends about it, all thinking the same thing.