MVC disciplined referee Rick Randall (Ref who made the goaltending call)

[Kung Wu]

As much as I enjoy college basketball, I think the officiating by and large is the biggest negative about the sport. Something has to be done about the rules to let the kids play more.

Everything is a foul. It's not about WSU ... it's NCAA basketball wide. Every drive to the basket is either a charge or a block. Everyone flops. There's no flow to the games. Officials should not have just as much impact in a game as the actual players do.

Block/charge foul is one of the crappiest rules in all of sports. To simplify it, there should be no foul unless:

1) Defensive or offensive player uses their arms and/or hands to repel the other player. That would be called PUSHING.
2) Same as above but if either player uses an elbow it's DANGEROUS PLAY and a technical.
3) Offensive player lifts one or both knees while making forward motion in the air. DANGEROUS PLAY and a technical.

Other than that -- no call. Easy for fans to understand, easy to coach, easy to ref, easy for kids to learn.

[Dave Stalwart]

That might be fun. Then you have a game of chicken when a guy wants to drive and whoever gets scared will bail or get trucked or even better...take all kinds of contact while barely budging and making the driver look like a girl as he bounces off the chest of a guy like EO. With less worry about timing and setting feet and stuff, a big powerful guy can just block the crap out of any weak stuff.

[wsushox1]

As much as I enjoy college basketball, I think the officiating by and large is the biggest negative about the sport. Something has to be done about the rules to let the kids play more.

Everything is a foul. It's not about WSU ... it's NCAA basketball wide. Every drive to the basket is either a charge or a block. Everyone flops. There's no flow to the games. Officials should not have just as much impact in a game as the actual players do.

This is the exact opposite of how I feel about the state of the game.

If you enjoy games barely getting out of the lower 50's then be my guest to want the kids to be able to "play more". However CBB is going to find itself in a tough spot soon if they don't clean up the game. This is the first season that I've actually aesthetically enjoyed watching a random NBA game than a random CBB game. It's a much better viewing experience.

This article pretty much sums up how I feel about the state of the college game right now - http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...ege-basketball

[ShockerPrez]

Does this mean we can change the L to a W?


T


...:cool:

Yeah, really. So when is the overtime sessiin going to be played? Or does it just mean they we 'officially' got jobbed?

[shoxlax]

I know this has been talked about before but I think we really need to look at widening the lane or the court. Guys are so big and physical now that there is way too much congestion and lack of room to maneuver. Lowering the shoulder is almost done by necessity just to get a shot off. Makes for some ugly basketball.

[SubGod22]

I know this has been talked about before but I think we really need to look at widening the lane or the court. Guys are so big and physical now that there is way too much congestion and lack of room to maneuver. Lowering the shoulder is almost done by necessity just to get a shot off. Makes for some ugly basketball.

How would widening the lane help that? I'd think it'd mean they'd need to lower the shoulder more as they're starting farther out to begin with.

[shoxlax]

How would widening the lane help that? I'd think it'd mean they'd need to lower the shoulder more as they're starting farther out to begin with.

Three second issues would cause people to spread out more. More screens and picks with less congestion. That's why it was widened the last time. Remember when the lane looked like a key or are you too young for that? :) That's where the phrase "top of the key" came from.

Maybe we should just go to three on three Iowa girls basketball.

[proshox]

This is the exact opposite of how I feel about the state of the game.

If you enjoy games barely getting out of the lower 50's then be my guest to want the kids to be able to "play more". However CBB is going to find itself in a tough spot soon if they don't clean up the game. This is the first season that I've actually aesthetically enjoyed watching a random NBA game than a random CBB game. It's a much better viewing experience.

This article pretty much sums up how I feel about the state of the college game right now - http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...ege-basketball

I agree. For instance, I hate watching most EU games because they constantly grab and hip check offensive players coming off of screens. Referees do not seem to notice their tricks, but it eliminates the chance to catch and shoot resulting in an ugly game.
With that said, I am not sure how one would go about fixing the physical nature of the game without calling 100 fouls. I know Ken Pomeroy attempted to find out if less fouls were called now than in the 80’s (the answer was no). I think he also checked to see if less fouls were called when two physical teams played (the answer is no). He came to the conclusion that the combined play of two teams during a game sets a hypothetical baseline that establishes the difference between fouls and non-fouls. If teams do not play physical it takes less contact for a foul… or if they are physical it takes more contact.
It is a lot like pick-up basketball where offense calls the foul, some games are gritty and players are less likely to call a fouls on the borderline hand checks and hacks.

[SubGod22]

Three second issues would cause people to spread out more. More screens and picks with less congestion. That's why it was widened the last time. Remember when the lane looked like a key or are you too young for that? :) That's where the phrase "top of the key" came from.

Maybe we should just go to three on three Iowa girls basketball.

Now that you mention it, I have seen pictures of such lanes. You mean they're not photoshopped?

[Aargh]

I agree. For instance, I hate watching most EU games because they constantly grab and hip check offensive players coming off of screens. Referees do not seem to notice their tricks, but it eliminates the chance to catch and shoot resulting in an ugly game.
With that said, I am not sure how one would go about fixing the physical nature of the game without calling 100 fouls. I know Ken Pomeroy attempted to find out if less fouls were called now than in the 80’s (the answer was no). I think he also checked to see if less fouls were called when two physical teams played (the answer is no). He came to the conclusion that the combined play of two teams during a game sets a hypothetical baseline that establishes the difference between fouls and non-fouls. If teams do not play physical it takes less contact for a foul… or if they are physical it takes more contact.
It is a lot like pick-up basketball where offense calls the foul, some games are gritty and players are less likely to call a fouls on the borderline hand checks and hacks.

So, in WSU's case, when they tend to play more physical than opponents, it takes less contact for WSu to have a foul called because their opponent plays less physical. Then it takes more contact for a foul to be called on the opponent because WSU plays more physical.

While that seems ludicrous, I can see how a referee could either intentionally or unintentionally get into that type of foul calling. It certainly seems like that happens in games.

[Kung Wu]

So, in WSU's case, when they tend to play more physical than opponents, it takes less contact for WSu to have a foul called because their opponent plays less physical. Then it takes more contact for a foul to be called on the opponent because WSU plays more physical.

While that seems ludicrous, I can see how a referee could either intentionally or unintentionally get into that type of foul calling. It certainly seems like that happens in games.

Yup.

[shoxlax]

It wasn't always that way. A physical style of play means you get away with more crap too. Look at SIU a few years ago.

That was the theory behind the Georgetown teams of the 80s-the more fouls you commit, the more you get away with. It worked.

[pinstripers]

I don't understand why the official is in trouble; is it for missing a call?

anybody?

[Kung Wu]

anybody?

Obviously the commissioner is not going to go public with a private reprimand. But I don't think it's hard to figure out that it was for awarding the other team two automatic points and deciding the final outcome of the game while being out of position to make the incorrect call, is it?

[1972Shocker]

anybody?

We may never know for sure the exact reason for the disciplinary action. All referees miss calls and there are missed calls in everygame. I think the distinction here is that it was a missed call (or at very best a highly questionable call) that determined the outcome of a game. Even giving the ref the benefit of the doubt that it was a 50-50 call you have to let that one go in those circumstances. You only make the call when it is clear and unequivocal. Perhaps he was disciplined for making the call when he appeared to have the poorest angle to view the call among the 3 refs on the court. Perhaps he should have conferred with his fellow refs to get their input before making such a critical and questionable call. I'm sure in retrospect that he feels bad about it, although that doesn't do the Shocks much good. So we just have to move on and deal with it.