We are getting absolutely schooled by the refs

[texaswarrior74]

They seem to have swallowed their whistles whenever UT does anything and obviously are not used to BE style of aggressive play. This is certainly NOT a neutral site.....

[Detfan23]

There was a two minute stretch that just cost us the game.  These refs are a mess.

[Norm]

There was a two minute stretch that just cost us the game.  These refs are a mess.

I don't get what James did to deserve a technical. Did he direct an F bomb towards the ref?

[CTWarrior]

I don't think the reffing was that bad.  The non-call on James followed by the phantom call on Burke followed by the tech on James was an atrocious sequence, though.

[shaquilvaine]

While I wasn't thrilled with the refs... do we always have to whine?  Its called being on the road.  I realize this was technically a neutral site but for all intensive purposes this was a road game and the refs called it like we were playing on the road.

[TallTitan34]

The chants of SEC pissed me off.  Congrats.  Vanderbilt beat the worst Big East team on their home court and Tennessee beat Marquette in their home state.

This challenge sucked. 

[marquette09]

Other than the over the back call on Burke, I didn't think the calls were that bad tonight.  The officiating may not have helped but it certianly was not why we lost the game.  Our ole buddy Higgins, though, did gave us a few favorable calls

[drewm88]

The chants of SEC pissed me off.  Congrats.  Vanderbilt beat the worst Big East team on their home court and Tennessee beat Marquette in their home state.

This challenge sucked. 

The Big East has 8 ranked teams. The SEC has Tennessee ranked (behind 7 BE teams), and LSU and Florida with 2 points apiece in the coaches' poll.

Shut up, crowd.

[chapman]

It wasn't that bad; at least it didn't cost us the game.  I know I've seen James foul a jump shooter at least three times in the past few games and then complain to the ref about it.

[MUSF]

Let me caveat this post with a disclaimer. I am not trying to bitch or whine and I don't think the refs were "awful" or "blew the game."

Now, here's the issue with the refs. They called a tight game in the paint on moves to the basket but didn't call much on the perimeter. If the ball was outside the three line and the ball handler was not going directly to the hoop, they were not going to call contact. It looks like that is just the way this crew calls games.

Obviously when you look at the respective rosters and styles, that type of officiating significantly favors one team style and talent over the other. They didn't blow any calls or swallow their whistles. This crew just wasn't a favorable draw for MU.

That said, we were in the game almost the entire way.  Kudos to Buzz and crew, it looked like a solid game plan. However, James' bonehead foul on the three and subsequent technical killed us and I would have liked to see Buzz pull James aside and let him have it a little bit. James is a senior, he is supposed to be the leader of this team, and he shouldn't be having the same mental lapses he was 3 years ago.

Oh well, tough loss.

Wesley Mathews is an absolute stud.

[farmdaddy]

I like how it was a one possession game for most of the night but both announcers were saying that Tenn was controlling the game the entire time...They were surprised when we were tied at half.

[Daniel]

There are always some bad calls - sometimes we benefit, sometimes we don't.  But our problem was that we just could not penetrate and get to the hoop as often as we need too.  And we took a ton of 3s again - they were dropping in half one.  Also, our free throw shooting, as we all know, is dismal.  Just dismal.

I think Otule would have helped in this game - some foul cushio, maybe some defense in the post, maybe a point or two.  But our lack of size hurts us - it is amazing we do as well as we do, but there were some jey rebounds we missed - especially the one after the 2 missed free throws by UT.

Disappointed for sure.  Can;t wait until Fulce and Otule acan play.

And. . . where was Cubie??

[MUSF]

There are always some bad calls - sometimes we benefit, sometimes we don't.  But our problem was that we just could not penetrate and get to the hoop as often as we need too.   

One main reason we couldn't penetrate was all of the contact the refs allowed on the ball handler. Those aren't bad calls, but they are conscious no calls. That is why this ref crew was a tough draw for MU. That is also why you need a balanced team with some sort of post presence. You can't be a great team if you are a one trick pony.

[MUfan12]

A few points on the refs-

What got me were the "Higgins specials" where they either anticipate or have to run in to make a call. Happened with the dark haired ref too. These went both ways.

What didn't get called both ways were the bumps and hand checks on the perimeter, that only seemed to get called on MU. Jerel took a beating around screens by the show guy, who would just bump him off his path with no call. Really, really frustrating.

And anytime you can go on an 11-0 run without a FG, there's something wrong. And many of those weren't shooting fouls either.

[1990Warrior]

The chants of SEC pissed me off.  Congrats.  Vanderbilt beat the worst Big East team on their home court and Tennessee beat Marquette in their home state.

This challenge sucked. 

I agree about this challenge sucking.  We deserve to get a home or neutral game in Chicago next year but we are done.

As to the officiating, I think it was what would be suspected for a road game.  We really need to reduce the offensive fouls, for example McNeals third right before half.  Buzz needs to get this through his players heads because I would expect this type of officiating on the road in the BE.

[Ahoya06]

There was a two minute stretch that just cost us the game.  These refs are a mess.

+1

While I'm not gonna whine about any kind of bias, I will say, the refs made themselves a factor, and that didn't need to happen.

I hate Tim Higgins with a passion...

[Pardner]

54 fouls and 71 foul shots.  I was hoping for an exciting run and gun game, we got plug and chug.  We lost because of UT's size, though.  Both teams were in deep foul trouble.  We need to adjust on the road and play smarter--too many stupid fouls.  A couple of things that were already mentioned:

>>Hand checks--when did the NCAA rename itself the NBA?  DJ had zero free throw attempts!  Just like Dayton with allowing the hand checks. 

>>DJ's T:  refs tend to not call lower body fouls on drives to the hoop--they will call the arm or head fouls.  DJ got clobbered, but it is Buzz's job to get the technical at the appropriate time, not DJ's.  While understandable, it was not well-timed.

>>DJ's foul on Chism's 3:  Stupid.  Even though it was a bit of a phantom call, you CANNOT jump into the shooter and expect a no call.  He has repeated this too often since Georgetown.

[MU B2002]

I am also curious as to when it became acceptable to beat your chest, point in a guys face, and yell right in a guys face after a basket?


And would I be saying this if we won? No probably not, but we didn't win.  So I will vent.

[CTWarrior]

I really thought the refereeing was fine last night.  A few bad calls went against us, a few went for us, but I don't think they were a factor.  Games with a lot of fouls called are generally going to hurt us because of our lack of depth.

One thing that did annoy me, however, was that Tennessee kept handling the ball after they made a basket to give themselves time to set up their press and to keep us from pushing the ball up the floor.  They continuously knocked the ball away or tossed it to a ref.  Their press didn't really bother us or cause turnovers, but it did shorten the shot clock a little and kept us from stealing an occasional easy basket. 

[MU B2002]

One thing that did annoy me, however, was that Tennessee kept handling the ball after they made a basket to give themselves time to set up their press and to keep us from pushing the ball up the floor.  They continuously knocked the ball away or tossed it to a ref.  Their press didn't really bother us or cause turnovers, but it did shorten the shot clock a little and kept us from stealing an occasional easy basket. 

Which is made even more annoying by the fact that Burke got a warning for delay of game on the first offensive series.

[jos7287]

I was at the game...

Refs were pretty terrible but that is no excuse for the free points we left at the charity stripe, not making 3's, and dom just not getting it going.

Momentum was totally shifted by the poor calls at the beginning of the second half though... from what I remember at least I was busy drinking as much alchohol I could get my hands on to make the Tennessee fans more tolerable

[MUWeb7]

What didn't get called both ways were the bumps and hand checks on the perimeter, that only seemed to get called on MU. Jerel took a beating around screens by the show guy, who would just bump him off his path with no call. Really, really frustrating.

+1
Bingo

[nola03]

Through the first six minutes of the game there wasn't one foul called. In the next 34 minutes, the officials whistled 54 infractions. Is it a coincidence that the first six minutes was MU's best stretch of the night?

Officials always leave a lot to be desired but the hand checking seemed to be an area where they really struggled to determine what was too much of a hand and what wasn't. I'm fairly certain that Bobby Maze got his hands on parts of James that Dominic only allows a woman to get near. 

[augoman]

some very good points about the officiating, which can only be described as sketchy and uneven.  While that's not the only reason we didn't prevail last night, the effect on a short bench of momentum killing calls cannot be discounted.  DJ was 'beat up' w no call, and whistled for every touch/flop.  Lazar's charge and Burke's block were identical on subsequent possessions.  McNeal was held, bumped, pushed everytime he touched the ball w no calls, but whistled for the same at the other end.  Inconsistency is the worst a ref can do.

Wasn't jism guilty of 'taunting'?  Where was the "T"?

[Aughnanure]

my main problem,  besides the horrendous sequence of fouls that lost us the lead in the second half (James' was stupid on his own part), was the old white-haired ref who called every foul (on both teams) while he was halfway across the court or in a position where he could not have seen the foul. He would call a foul under the basket when he was looking at the backside of a play, while the ref on the other side had a perfect view and would not call, it was amazing where he would call a foul from and it didn't make any sense. He was always out of position on his calls, and it just looked like incompetence that he would be calling fouls when he isn't even around the play, doesn't have a view of the play or isn't even the official closest to the play. Refs are like duty RAs, all it takes is one to spoil the party.