Officiating Thread

[Dr Z]

If anyone actually believes there's a ref conspiracy to screw the Zips, please speak up

_"You GOTTA be kidding me?"___"No doubt about it"

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[skip-zip]

_"You GOTTA be kidding me?"___"No doubt about it"

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However, I still think Steve's best line when he's in the state of disbelief is........HOOOO-LLLY COW !!!!!

[Dave in Green]

We spoke with some BGSU fans during and after last night's game, and they seemed to be as upset with the officiating as Zips fans were. From the Zips perspective, the most questionable calls were against Pat. The same official called all 5 personals on Pat, and some of them appeared really weak. Overall I'd say the officiating wasn't far from average.

For a good read on an academic study of college basketball officiating, check out the following AP story from a few years ago. Among the study's conclusions are that it pays to play aggressive defense because, although it may result in a lot of early fouls, many officials subconsciously try to balance out fouls between the two teams as the game goes on, rewarding the team that may be committing more actual fouls that go uncalled.

Fewer fouls called on home team

[tpsjugglerdude]

The BG fans in front of us kept laughing about how Akron kept getting hosed on several calls. Seems that sitting in a predominately Akron section had an effect on them.

[The Hip Zip]

Anybody catch what Jay Bilas had to say about our good pal Terry Wymer last week ???? Note that the ref under the hoop about two feet away saw nothing there while Terry tooted his whistle from well beyond the 3 pt arc, had to be about 25 feet away,

I now give you " the worse call in the history of basketball."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec2OGgyDs0E

[odhgibo]

My 13-yo couldn't wait to show me that play after it happened. He was shocked when I said, "Right call." The Maryland player was contacted with sufficient force to turn him 45 degrees outward.

Play around the rim is monitored by Center and Trail, not Lead. The fact that the call came from out front is to be expected (at least to other officials).

There is no such foul as "over the back." There's pushing or, more generally, illegal contact. The OSU player illegally contacted a player who had established a position between the fouling player and the basket.

Bilas is not particularly insightful when it comes to on-court activity. He's well spoken, and I think that covers a multitude of deficiencies in many eyes. Billy Packer was the same way.

[odhgibo]

Oh, and while Bilas is rarely insightful when it comes to on-court activity, Steve French almost NEVER is. I find him almost un-listenable at this point.

[The Hip Zip]

Oh, and while Bilas is rarely insightful when it comes to on-court activity, Steve French almost NEVER is. I find him almost un-listenable at this point.

You're preaching to the choir my friend. He gets a little worse every year, I find him and the Zips entire treatment of sports broadcasting to be incompetent and nearly intolerable. The problem is though that the UA couldn't care less and most of the simpletons think he's the greatest.

As far as the call, I found the contact on that play to be minimal and not a lot there that doesn't happen on every other fight for a rebound. However, as an official, I am sure that you are much more schooled on the subject than I and I do respect your opinion.

[Dr Z]

He gets a little worse every year, I find him and the Zips entire treatment of sports broadcasting to be incompetent and nearly intolerable. The problem is, that the UA couldn't care less, and most of the simpletons think he's the greatest.

Interesting point. I wondered sometimes if I was just wearing down from decades of it. I know I don't enjoy it the way I used to. I think I might have "outgrown" the sophomoric shenanigans. I cringe when it spills over to the fan base.

[The Hip Zip]

" sophomoric shenanigans"

Excellent choice of words Dr Z

[ZachTheZip]

The Maryland player was contacted with sufficient force to turn him 45 degrees outward.

There is no such foul as "over the back." There's pushing or, more generally, illegal contact. The OSU player illegally contacted a player who had established a position between the fouling player and the basket.

If that's the criteria, then about a quarter the defensive fouls called on Akron under the basket this past decade should have called on the other team.

Having sat behind the basket, I can't tell you how many times a blocking foul is called on a Zips defender who is established and standing vertically when the other player dribbled right into them.

[skip-zip]

Time to bump this back up again.

I think Keith is going to get fined after tonight. The officiating problem seems to have finally gotten to him, and he openly talked about it in the postgame radio interview.

We've only had TWO games all year where we got more FT attempts than our opponents. And, we've shot 116 fewer FTs.

The play where Kwan doesn't get a foul call going to the basket, but Kretzer getting a foul on the rebound seemed particularly frustrating to him.

[zippy5]

We've only had TWO games all year where we got more FT attempts than our opponents. And, we've shot 116 fewer FTs.

I listened to this one, so I can't comment on the refs.. But that sounds right. We take so many three pointers, I wouldn't expect to ever get to the line more than our opponent. I'm actually surprised we've done it twice.

[UAZip0510]

MAC officials are, in general, pretty awful and, in my opinion, worse than most other conferences. Sometimes that has helped us, sometimes that has hurt us. I think over the course of a season it evens out, but it sure is frustrating.

[skip-zip]

I listened to this one, so I can't comment on the refs.. But that sounds right. We take so many three pointers, I wouldn't expect to ever get to the line more than our opponent. I'm actually surprised we've done it twice.

I already said in the other thread that I felt like we didn't push the issue enough tonight.

But there's a lot of other areas where fouls can occur, and still, it was a 34 to 13 FT advantage. The frustration from our bench obviously has boiled over.

[skip-zip]

MAC officials are, in general, pretty awful and, in my opinion, worse than most other conferences. Sometimes that has helped us, sometimes that has hurt us. I think over the course of a season it evens out, but it sure is frustrating.

A differential of 116 FTs isn't what I would define as "evening itself out"

[1981 grad]

I watched the game and the refs were no worse or better than usual. We had the Miami announcers and they were shouting when the refs did not call fouls against the Zips. The guys who take the ball to the basket, Big Dog, Pat and Deji, have been getting to the line the whole season. The guys who stand on the perimeter and shoot the 3 ball are not going to get to the line.

The 2nd half we had some really bad turnovers and shot the ball poorly. Miami made an adjustment of double teaming Big Dog as soon as he got the ball and we had no answer. It had nothing to do with the refs.

[zippy5]

A differential of 116 FTs isn't what I would define as "evening itself out"

Are you blaming the refs or our style of play for that differential?

[UAZip0510]

A differential of 116 FTs isn't what I would define as "evening itself out"

I mean it evens out over the course of a season, not this individual game.

[ewbrooman1]

A see a lot of the refs who do MAC games a day or two later doing top Big Ten and other conference games, so I'm not going to complain much about officiating. It is what it is. Can it be better at times? Sure. As far as our free throw discrepancy, it seems pretty consistent over the year. As 1981 grad mentions, being 3rd in the nation in taking 3 pointers and 160th in percentage may have something to do with it.

[Dave in Green]

There was one Big Ten level official on the floor last night, Glenn Mayborg. He did a thoroughly professional job. There was one MAC/Patriot level official, Kevin O'Connell. His calls were reasonably balanced. And then there was Frank Spencer. He started the evening by issuing a warning to the Akron bench for some unspecified reason. He continued by calling incidental contact fouls on Zips players and missing hard hits on Zips players. He finished by calling a technical on a Zips assistant coach who was only politely inquiring why his player who just got flattened didn't belong at the free throw line. There were some things that happened last night that probably didn't make the TV or radio feeds.

[The Hip Zip]

Spencer is just bloody awful, he must be a graduate of the Jim Ferrari official's school. It's like he has no understanding of the game or human behavior for that matter .His greatest asset and true calling is making the other two guys he's working with him look like they are all world refs. He's a hack who should be working the late night window at Taco Bell.

I do agree that Buddy is OK on most nights,

[skip-zip]

I mean it evens out over the course of a season, not this individual game.

I still think you're not reading. That 116 FT differential is for a season, not a game.

[skip-zip]

Are you blaming the refs or our style of play for that differential?

First of all, I only brought this up because the disparity is so large, and because our coaching staff appears frustrated by it, and because our head coach is likely about to get fined for comments.

Secondly...to repeat again, I acknowledge that we possibly don't attack the basket to draw more fouls as often as we should. We especially missed that chance when we were in the bonus for a big hunk of the first half last night. But you're clearly know acknowledging all of the aspects of a game where a foul could potentially be called. You seem as if you are focusing on whether a team drives to the basket or shoots jumpers. That's merely a small part of all of the contact and fouling that takes place as part of every game.

[zippy5]

First of all, I only brought this up because the disparity is so large, and because our coaching staff appears frustrated by it, and because our head coach is likely about to get fined for comments.

Secondly...to repeat again, I acknowledge that we possibly don't attack the basket to draw more fouls as often as we should. We especially missed that chance when we were in the bonus for a big hunk of the first half last night. But you're clearly know acknowledging all of the aspects of a game where a foul could potentially be called. You seem as if you are focusing on whether a team drives to the basket or shoots jumpers. That's merely a small part of all of the contact and fouling that takes place as part of every game.

Small part? Offensive fouls don't generate free throws, so we're strictly talking fouls against with the ball. I'd guess a large majority of the fouls are committed in the paint vs the perimeter. We've been a perimeter team and that's part of the deal that comes with it. 116 FTs is about 5 per game so far, I don't think it's as bad as it sounds.