For anyone stuck at work...

[Dish]

Channelsurfing.net has had plenty of games on today. South Carolina/UT is coming down to the last shot here. On right now.

[State]

UT makes a big 3 to go up by 2....

With 11 sec to go a SC player gets shoved to the floor....no call!! 

I'm all for letting the players settle the game but this 'missed' call was terrible!!!


SC got screwed!!!

[Dish]

Agreed, that shove was pretty blatant.

Lofton hit that go ahead three from beyond NBA range.

[AlumKCof93]

I sit me or does it seem like there are an inordinate number of bad calls/non-calls that are determining games this year.  Its the worst way for a game to end.  That call yesterday in the ASU/USC game was terrible.

[JetCityWarrior]

I don't think it's you.  I was having this conversation this morning with a Pac-10 fan and an ACC fan.  We all agreed that it seems every year the highlight show is of some miracle 3's and such, but this year it seems to be all last second fouls - or non-fouls depending upon your point of view.  Officiating deciding some big games out there.

[jaybilaswho?]

agreed. its not you. Just last night Joe Lunardi had a quick cameo/sound byte during an acc highlight. he said, "once again, a horrific call by ACC officials". I have also seen on espn.com an article about the bad officiating that has been occuring. i will try to find it.

[jaybilaswho?]

Maybe not soo much an article, but a half of an article:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3286819&sportCat=ncb


Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college basketball (where being UCLA (1) means you get all the calls and non-calls at just the right moments):

Hear that whistle? It's a warning signal

The Minutes does not want to be a mope, or a hysterical overreactor, or a false prophet of doom. But it has been an ugly season for basketball officiating, and the fear is that it will continue with crucial gaffes at precisely the wrong time.

Namely, now.

The postseason is here, the most wonderful time of the year. Here's hoping we don't spend half of it rehashing bad calls at crucial times in the biggest games -- but you have to wonder.

Life as an official is a thankless job, but the refs haven't had the best year, either.

Just in the past week, Pauley Pavilion seemingly became Homer Central: the atrocious foul call against Stanford's Lawrence Hill (2) on Thursday night while he was snuffing a Darren Collison shot with 2.5 seconds left; and the egregious non-call on UCLA's mugging of Cal forward Ryan Anderson (3) in the corner two days later. That, of course, was followed by the non-call on the over-the-backboard shot by UCLA's Josh Shipp (4) -- which at least was close, as opposed to the other two.

(Not to mention the fact that it was a hell of a shot.)

The previous week, a Pac-10 crew began the Stanford-Washington State game by whistling the Cougars for the first seven fouls. Then it drastically reversed course and called the next nine on the Cardinal, including a technical on coach Trent Johnson.

But this isn't just a West Coast problem. Villanova was hosed against Georgetown on an inexplicable call 80 feet from the basket that gave the Hoyas two free throws in the final second to win. In fact, Georgetown has been the East Coast version of UCLA, also getting a no-call when Patrick Ewing Jr. (5) blocked/goaltended a winning layup at West Virginia, plus a bailout Marquette foul call to get that game into overtime.

As The Minutes has always said, officiating is a very hard job and utmost respect should be accorded to those performing a largely thankless task. When it's done right. But the elite refs in college hoops are an aging group that works relentlessly all winter, and there are concerns about breakdown at the end of a grueling season. You have to wonder where the reinforcements are, the next generation of topflight whistles.

And you have to wonder whether we can get through the next month without an outbreak of end-game errors.

[jaybilaswho?]

MUDISH

Thank you for this link. My company has blocked radio streaming due to "bandwidth" issues. This link is working and finally I can watch some tourny games.

hello erin andrews.

[77ncaachamps]

"But the elite refs in college hoops are an aging group that works relentlessly all winter, and there are concerns about breakdown at the end of a grueling season. You have to wonder where the reinforcements are, the next generation of topflight whistles."


^^^
That says it all.

We expect these guys to work some pre-season games, a full season, post season, then tourneys AND not to miss some calls? Can't be humanly done.

Almost - if not all - work their tails off, but the usual suspects have preferential eyes like bad habits they need to kick.