Blaming the Officials

[Henderson]

Anyone who is tempted to complain about officiating, and blame poor officiating for a loss, should visit IC to see what that looks like to the rest of the world. As far as I can tell, UNC-CH won that game fair and square, but the pro-Duke officiating crew stole the game. There was no way the NCAA (which is effectively controlled by Mike Krzyzewski) would allow UNC-CH to win a natty given all the unfair rumors about some historical problem a long long time ago having nothing to do with athletics. Either that, or the refs were just incompetent, costing UNC-CH the victory.

Pitiful. Sad. Poor sportsmanship. That's what blaming a loss on officiating looks like. I know it's tempting. But it serves no purpose than to vent. It might feel good, but go over to IC and see what others see.

[OldPhiKap]

Anyone who is tempted to complain about officiating, and blame poor officiating for a loss, should visit IC to see what that looks like to the rest of the world. As far as I can tell, UNC-CH won that game fair and square, but the pro-Duke officiating crew stole the game. There was no way the NCAA (which is effectively controlled by Mike Krzyzewski) would allow UNC-CH to win a natty given all the unfair rumors about some historical problem a long long time ago having nothing to do with athletics. Either that, or the refs were just incompetent, costing UNC-CH the victory.

Pitiful. Sad. Poor sportsmanship. That's what blaming a loss on officiating looks like. I know it's tempting. But it serves no purpose than to vent. It might feel good, but go over to IC and see what others see.

I think this is a healthy reminder. Someone needs to remember to bring this up at the beginning of next season.

[FerryFor50]

Anyone who is tempted to complain about officiating, and blame poor officiating for a loss, should visit IC to see what that looks like to the rest of the world. As far as I can tell, UNC-CH won that game fair and square, but the pro-Duke officiating crew stole the game. There was no way the NCAA (which is effectively controlled by Mike Krzyzewski) would allow UNC-CH to win a natty given all the unfair rumors about some historical problem a long long time ago having nothing to do with athletics. Either that, or the refs were just incompetent, costing UNC-CH the victory.

Pitiful. Sad. Poor sportsmanship. That's what blaming a loss on officiating looks like. I know it's tempting. But it serves no purpose than to vent. It might feel good, but go over to IC and see what others see.

The difference is that the complaints about officiating here rarely moves into conspiracy theory - it's mainly about consistency.

And rarely is it given as the reason for losing games here.

I see no problem with calling out officiating. It's a part of the game as much as free throw shooting, turnovers, coaching, etc. It's more about being realistic about it.

[eddiehaskell]

Fans of teams that lose are obviously going to search for answers.

I don't really have an opinion on the officiating although I did notice Hicks get slapped on the arm toward the end and it sounded like it echoed through the arena.

I also saw where Bilas and Jay mentioned bad officiating.

Someone should make a video of all the "bad" calls on both teams so we can accurately judge.

[FerryFor50]

Fans of teams that lose are obviously going to search for answers.

I don't really have an opinion on the officiating although I did notice Hicks get slapped on the arm toward the end and it sounded like it echoed through the arena.

I also saw where Bilas and Jay mentioned bad officiating.

Someone should make a video of all the "bad" calls on both teams so we can accurately judge.

It was inconsistent, in general.

There were stretches where tons of contact was allowed on both sides. A few minutes later, they'd call touch fouls.

I felt like Nova got away with some walks, as well as some fouls on rebounds. But I also thought UNC got away with a ton of over the back calls on rebounds the entire season, including this game.

Keep in mind that UNC was first to the double bonus in the 2nd half. And no one on UNC's team was in real foul trouble until Hicks got called for his 4th late in the half. Nova had 2 guys with 4, including Jenkins, who hit the game winner.

[oldnavy]

Maybe the NCAA will listen to the growing chorus of complaints about officials, and make some common sense changes.

I wish that officiating would become a full time job, and that the NCAA would assign officials to teams for continuity and consistency.

This hodgepodge of cobbling together crews for single games is hurting the game IMO.

How can anyone expect consistency in officiating when the most dynamic and inconsistent aspect of the game is the officiating crew makeup?

Granted, nothing is ever going to be perfect this side of glory, but minimizing variables would logically lead to a more uniformed product.

[FerryFor50]

Maybe the NCAA will listen to the growing chorus of complaints about officials, and make some common sense changes.

I wish that officiating would become a full time job, and that the NCAA would assign officials to teams for continuity and consistency.

This hodgepodge of cobbling together crews for single games is hurting the game IMO.

How can anyone expect consistency in officiating when the most dynamic and inconsistent aspect of the game is the officiating crew makeup?

Granted, nothing is ever going to be perfect this side of glory, but minimizing variables would logically lead to a more uniformed product.

Not only that, but having officials from conferences at the very least gives a perception of bias. "ACC refs hate the Big 10!"

Make the officials NCAA-wide. Pay them more. Make the bad ones answer for their ineptitude.

[BigZ]

As a Duke fan I can name just a couple of poorly officiated games that cost Duke in the tournament. Top of my head the two that stand out are 2002 and 2004.

[oldnavy]

Not only that, but having officials from conferences at the very least gives a perception of bias. "ACC refs hate the Big 10!"

Make the officials NCAA-wide. Pay them more. Make the bad ones answer for their ineptitude.

Yes. The crews could rotate between leagues. They could scale back how much they work... I heard that one official works upwards of 50-60 games a season. Add in the travel and you can expect that these guys get fatigued.

And like you say, they could set up a system for review, and feedback. This could be some of the older more experienced officials. They could cut back on the # of games they officiate and grade out their peers (could be done from home).

Makes too much sense for me to expect the NCAA to adopt this....

[rocketeli]

I've been on many different school's message boards, and Cryolina fans are in a "class" by themselves as far as blaming the officiating for losses. As far as I can tell they've never lost a game, except it was the fault of the officials.

The day I hear a WINNING coach or the fanbase of the winning team complain about officiating is the day I will take complaints about officiating seriously.

[FerryFor50]

I've been on many different school's message boards, and Cryolina fans are in a "class" by themselves as far as blaming the officiating for losses. As far as I can tell they've never lost a game, except it was the fault of the officials.

The day I hear a WINNING coach or the fanbase of the winning team complain about officiating is the day I will take complaints about officiating seriously.

They only rival State fans in the officiating whining.

Difference is, State doesn't have the same sense of entitlement because they haven't won as much.

[jv001]

As a Duke fan I can name just a couple of poorly officiated games that cost Duke in the tournament. Top of my head the two that stand out are 2002 and 2004.

Add in 1999. GoDuke!

[Billy Dat]

I think the officials blew a ton of calls, and they mostly favored Villanova. I think fouls 3 and 4 on Meeks were a joke, and I thought Villanova definitely traveled on one of those key late foul calls on UNC - but that made it all the sweeter, that the officiating could be called into question and never overturned. They are stuck with the losers lament.

[devildeac]

They only rival State fans in the officiating whining.

Difference is, State doesn't have the same sense of entitlement because they haven't won as much.

How quickly we forget the under armour team from college park.;)

[jv001]

I think the officials blew a ton of calls, and they mostly favored Villanova. I think fouls 3 and 4 on Meeks were a joke, and I thought Villanova definitely traveled on one of those key late foul calls on UNC - but that made it all the sweeter, that the officiating could be called into question and never overturned. They are stuck with the losers lament.

I agree that the refs blew a bunch of calls. I thought Paige was fouled toward the end of the game but no call. But I remember going to Duke-Cheat Football games long ago and I'm pretty sure Duke was on the short end of the whistle many times. GoDuke!

[English]

Anyone who is tempted to complain about officiating, and blame poor officiating for a loss, should visit IC to see what that looks like to the rest of the world. As far as I can tell, UNC-CH won that game fair and square, but the pro-Duke officiating crew stole the game. There was no way the NCAA (which is effectively controlled by Mike Krzyzewski) would allow UNC-CH to win a natty given all the unfair rumors about some historical problem a long long time ago having nothing to do with athletics. Either that, or the refs were just incompetent, costing UNC-CH the victory.

Pitiful. Sad. Poor sportsmanship. That's what blaming a loss on officiating looks like. I know it's tempting. But it serves no purpose than to vent. It might feel good, but go over to IC and see what others see.

I'm not masochistic enough to wade over to IC today, but following @ICMeltdown on the Twitter machine makes today a great time to be alive. Just so much pure joy and adulation as a result of that one small nicety. Perhaps this belongs on the schadenfreude thread, but honestly, it belongs everywhere.

[MChambers]

How quickly we forget the under armour team from college park.;)

I'm pretty sure FerryFor50 was only considering teams in the ACC, as any reasonable fan should.

[duke79]

I'm not masochistic enough to wade over to IC today, but following @ICMeltdown on the Twitter machine makes today a great time to be alive. Just so much pure joy and adulation as a result of that one small nicety. Perhaps this belongs on the schadenfreude thread, but honestly, it belongs everywhere.

Yea, I would suggest avoiding the IC board. For some unknown reason, I actually waded over there for a bit. Truly nauseating dribble coming out of their disappointed mouths.

[FerryFor50]

Yea, I would suggest avoiding the IC board. For some unknown reason, I actually waded over there for a bit. Truly nauseating dribble coming out of their disappointed mouths.

FWIW, it's drivel. :)

[gurufrisbee]

Villanova shot 58%. Absolutely nothing was given to them in that game - they earned that win with a fantastic performance.

Were travelling calls missed? Probably. But there was no more blatant of one missed than Berry trying to break the press in the first half.

Was the level of contact allowed and called inconsistent? Sure, but it was inconsistent both ways.

Refs are human - want to know a good way to stay on the bad side of human? I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. and whine like a baby every single time. Yes, talking about Brice and Meeks.

Want a big call that went against you? How about the turnover on Ariadacono that was actually touched by Carolina in the final minute.

And the biggest reality is this - Villanova's second leading scorer was the ONLY starter who had to sit significant minutes with foul trouble. Nothing was more damaging in the game related to refs than that. Nothing. Not even close.

And really the only other person who was affected by having to sit with foul trouble was Bridges.

If you want to whine about the officiating you better have a LOT better case than the Terd Heels do in that game.

[duke4ever19]

As a Duke fan I can name just a couple of poorly officiated games that cost Duke in the tournament. Top of my head the two that stand out are 2002 and 2004.

Boozer was fouled!!

[duke79]

FWIW, it's drivel. :)

Ugh.....sorry. I SHOULD know that.

[devildeac]

Yea, I would suggest avoiding the IC board. For some unknown reason, I actually waded over there for a bit. Truly nauseating dribble coming out of their disappointed mouths.


FWIW, it's drivel. :)

Drivel, dribble, double dribble, drool, excessive salivation, whatever. From their mouth-breathing, gape-jawed looks last night, all is good. :D

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Boozer was fouled!!

Funny how the intent of this thread went so quickly from "BTW, this is how pathetic it looks when teams complain about refs" to complaining about the refs.

I would say that in all my years of watching sports, there's been a handful of egregious calls that have swung games (yes, Duke/Miami football is one). I find any level of complaining about referees to be really distasteful and a sign of poor sportsmanship.

Now then, carry on.

[CameronBlue]

Funny how the intent of this thread went so quickly from "BTW, this is how pathetic it looks when teams complain about refs" to complaining about the refs.

I would say that in all my years of watching sports, there's been a handful of egregious calls that have swung games (yes, Duke/Miami football is one). I find any level of complaining about referees to be really distasteful and a sign of poor sportsmanship.

Now then, carry on.

Thanks for the disclaimer, duly noted. BOOZER WAS FOULED!!!!!!!!!!

[oldnavy]

Funny how the intent of this thread went so quickly from "BTW, this is how pathetic it looks when teams complain about refs" to complaining about the refs.

I would say that in all my years of watching sports, there's been a handful of egregious calls that have swung games (yes, Duke/Miami football is one). I find any level of complaining about referees to be really distasteful and a sign of poor sportsmanship.

Now then, carry on.

I would draw a distinction between "complaining" about refs and "blaming refs for losing". I complain about refs ALL THE TIME. I rarely if ever place the blame for a loss on the refs (Miami football game is a clear exception).

I agree with you that blaming the refs for losing is usually bad form. But I think refs are fair game for criticizing, and often the officiating of a game is very poor. Players can play poorly, coaches can coach poorly, and refs can ref poorly.

[wilson]

Many NCAA games are shockingly poorly officiated these days, even on the sport's largest stages. Any fan base of any school can point to multiple occasions on which they genuinely feel they were aggrieved, and I believe that at least some carowhiners' protestations about last night's game are heartfelt, and not just attempted assignment of blame (although a significant amount of the latter is happening too).
I firmly believe that Duke was wronged by NCAA Tournament officials in both 2002 and 2004. But on both occasions, I recall numerous plays that we didn't make, or instances of sheer happenstance, that also "cost us the game."
Like missed opportunities or bad bounces, poor moments of officiating are part of the game, due in no small part to the fact that every play is now dissected and debriefed from numerous angles both visual and rhetorical. For me, that minute memory of those moments means that they still really stick in my craw, because what could have been for both of those teams was lofty indeed.
Today, I take real pleasure in knowing that carolina fans feel like crap. That's horrible and childish of me, but sports is just boiled down warfare...an outlet into which we pour our fascistic, aggressive urges.
I also don't feel too bad about the above described feelings because I truly believe that there is an element of comeuppance about last night's outcome for unc. The replay of that shot every March ad nauseam every March until after we're all dead will always take heel fans back to this moment in their program's history and remind them of the hanging black cloud they so richly deserve.

[weezie]

The difference is that the complaints about officiating here rarely moves into conspiracy theory - it's mainly about consistency. And rarely is it given as the reason for losing games here.I see no problem with calling out officiating. It's a part of the game as much as free throw shooting, turnovers, coaching, etc. It's more about being realistic about it.

I agree with F450. Plus my whining is actually pretty cute and endearing right?! :cool:

[gurufrisbee]

I'll complain about officiating when it's legitimately bad. And once in a while I will even call out the refs when their lopsided officiating makes it clear that the best team on the floor that night did not win the game due to their failures. But it's got to be compelling and clear for that. Emeka Okafor jumping over the back of guys all game long while every Blue Devil over 6'7" fouled out for breathing near him kind of stuff.

The game last night wasn't anything close to that. If anything, the officiating helped the Tar Heels more than it hurt them by keeping Jenkins on the bench so much.

[mkirsh]

Not to defend the Heels fans, but imagine it's April 2010. UNC is coming off a national title, and Duke hasn't won in 9 years. In fact, UNC has won twice since Duke's last title, and is killing it in recruiting as well. Now imagine if Hayward's shot banks in instead of missing. I would bet that this board would be in an uproar about Howard's moving screen, about the bad call on Singler that took away a 3 Scheyer hit from the corner, and about a thousand other calls that could have changed the outcome. I think that kind of frustration is natural after a tough loss. The main difference is that this board would probably calm down after a few days and they are likely to hang onto this "conspiracy" for years, but day after venting is not unexpected.

As for actual calls, I haven't re-watched the game, but agree that the questionable calls probably tilted slightly towards Nova, but did not move the overall outcome. Off the top of my head the calls that favored Nova were the walk at the end, and Meeks's 3rd while diving for the loose ball, but going the other way Nova fans could complain about the Arch pass not being reviewed for a tip (and come on TBS, we saw Winslow's finger analyzed for an hour last year, how about a slo-mo or two of that play?), the double dribble called against one of their bigs early that wasn't, the Berry travel at half court, and on Jenkins early blocking foul there was a Bryce Johnson horribly illegal screen before the foul that wasn't called. [Side note - how in the world does Bryce not get a T (or even a warning!) after turning 180 degrees around to glare right into the face of a Nova player that lightly touched him on his alley-oop? I know he's done that for 4 years but no one else gets away with that. Just imagine what would happen if Grayson did that. /rant]

Anyway, the point is that I'm sure if I watched again I could find 10 more for each side, and overall it wasn't the best officiating ever, but it was far from a one-sided conspiracy.

[Papa John]

Funny how the intent of this thread went so quickly from "BTW, this is how pathetic it looks when teams complain about refs" to complaining about the refs.

And with that, Daniel Ewing just got a technical...


I also don't feel too bad about the above described feelings because I truly believe that there is an element of comeuppance about last night's outcome for unc. The replay of that shot every March ad nauseam every March until after we're all dead will always take heel fans back to this moment in their program's history and remind them of the hanging black cloud they so richly deserve.

Amen to that, brother! The more one thinks about it, the more this ending seems so perfect, so preordained, so divinely inspired... And this poetic masterpiece came fresh on the heels of the "Academically-Sketchy Program Defeats Academically-Sketchy Program, 83-76" (hed courtesy HuffPo).