just when you thought officiating couldnt be any worse

[thebigeast44]

I'm not sure. I'd have to go back and watch the game. Not doing that for obvious reasons.

But even if that is called a block on Morgan, Triche still has to make both FTs, we still have to play the last possession, and we still have to play OT. How is that deciding the game?

We shot like a## for forty minutes, but some people want to cherry pick a few calls and say that's why we lost. Because I'm sure there were no calls that went our way that entire game.

No one said that was the only reason we lost. But refs can be as much a part of the game as the players are. And decisions they make can be just as important as the decisions players make on the court. The same ref made 3 poor calls against us at the end of the game. Those calls were crucial to the final outcome. They knocked our starting backcourt out of the game and cost us potential points on the board. To deny that is no different than if someone else said our poor shooting had no effect on the outcome of the game. It obviously did. Doug Gottleib commented on the 3 calls right after the game. So it's not just sour grapes from SU fans. The game was called fairly well up to that point but as Doug said, to have 3 bad calls go against one team at the end of the game mattered.

 

[HOFCeluck]

No one said that was the only reason we lost..

I don't think you've paid a lot of attention then.

 

[RF2044]

Yeah, I guess I wouldn't agree that one call cost us the game. But the preponderance of some bad calls may have.

And without re-watching, I don't remember if we were down 2 or 3 on that Triche charge call. But if he goes to the line there--who knows? Despite all of that stuff--the poor shooting, the bad offensive outing, some strange calls, etc.--we were right there at the end, and a different call or two might have tipped the scales our way.

But pinning it all on one call--no. At the end of the day, if MCW or Southerland had made an extra shot or two--and that's all it would have taken--we play in the national championship.

 

[thebigeast44]

I don't think you've paid a lot of attention then.

The one poster above said that call decided the game. But he did not say that was the only reason we lost. There were many reasons. But he was right in saying it was an important call and RF posted a number of other reasons that led to our loss as well. There are some who simply refuse to say that refs can have enough impact to potentially change the outcome of a game. But they can.

 

[RF2044]

The one poster above said that call decided the game. But he did not say that was the only reason we lost. There were many reasons. But he was right in saying it was an important call and RF posted a number of other reasons that led to our loss as well. There are some who simply refuse to say that the refs can have enough impact to potentially change the outcome of a game. But they can.

I agree with this. I've been complaining about the declining quality of officiating in college basketball for several years. It has gotten steadily worse over the past decade, enabling [amongst other reasons] college basketball to turn into a sloppy scrum that deemphasizes the skill involved in the game. There have been lots of posters who rejected that perspective--but I do think that last year's off-season changes are an acknowledgement that the quality of officiating was a problem that needed to be addressed. That the points of emphasis weren't consistently enforced this year isn't a sign that things won't change, but rather that more fine tuning is needed to yield the desired result.

I'm not criticizing refs themselves. They have a tough job, officiating a fast-paced game. But other professions are held accountable to quality standards, and I think NCAA officials should be, too.

 

[LennX6]

3/5 of the starters didn't show up for Michigan but yeah that call COST US THE GAME.

And McGary turning into Dave Cowens II

 

[BuffOrange]

It's interesting how nobody ever says "__ shouldn't have been in that position" when __ pulls a win out of their butt. Nobody ever said the Patriots shouldn't have blown double digit 4th Qtr leads vs the Rams & Panthers, and nobody said the Ravens shouldn't have needed a hail marry in Denver, and nobody said Kansas shouldn't have been down 9 to Memphis with 2min's left.

It sucks that MCW & Southerland didn't play better. But almost every champion needs that one lucky win in the tournament. The refs took away our chance to do that after five decisive wins; they didn't take away Michigan's lucky game vs Kansas.

As for it not indisputably determining the outcome, that's true but IDK how many bad calls are actually the difference between a guaranteed win & loss. '85 Cards-Royals & the Tuck Rule I guess. I do think the accumulation of the horrible MCW fouls & the charge took away at minimum a coinflip shot at the win.

 

[LennX6]

I've watched it. Not the higest point in that refs career.

But the poor offensive performance makes it really hard for me to get too worked up about the calls. Maybe it's a defence mechanism. I don't know.

I have a vault in my head that have the season-ending screw jobs we have received from a ref, but the Michigan game ain't one of them.
#1 on my list was SU-WKU '78.