EverettGriz said:
votb said:
My broadcast partner for home games is a great equalizer. He often is the guy who tries to bring balance to the air when I start criticizing officials "too much". He is very "reasonable" and has more ability to see things from different perspectives than I think I do. After one foul early in the second half last night, he took off his mic/headset and threw it on the floor behind us. At that point I knew I wasn't insane.
...
Officiating is playing a HUGE role in that, and the bsc seemingly just turns their heads and ignores the problem. Disgraceful.
An interesting conundrum:
Whistle-happy refs definitely cripple the flow of the games, and ruin the show for the fans.
Yet, realistically, they could probably call even more fouls if they stayed closer to the letter of the rules. (Like in football, where the saying goes "They could call holding on every play if they wanted to.") Basketball, college and pro, has simply gotten way more physical than it was originally meant to be. (Anyone who calls it a "non-contact" sport hasn't been paying attention for the past 20-30 years.) Because bumping and grinding is now the norm, the rules have to walk a fine line between "letting them play" and maintaining player safety. And then the refs have to interpret what the rules say in a fast-paced, real-time setting.
I personally prefer "finesse" basketball to "physical," but I'm old and most likely out of step with the times. To me, watching two teams pound on each other, with no/few fouls being called is no better than a game where they call it tight and interrupt the flow. The first "flows" better ... for awhile. But, in my experience, the physicality often escalates to the point where things can get ugly. I recall an article about a game a few weeks ago (looked, but can't find it now, maybe someone else can find it): I think it was in the Big East and the "loser" ended up with loose teeth (yes, literally) from what was basically a forearm shiver ... but no foul was called. The refs barely managed to prevent a fight on the next trip down the court ... and the guy with the loose teeth ended up with a technical. How fair is that?
It appears that Big Sky refs prefer (probably by conference guidelines) more finesse and less physicality. Unlike some on here, I think that could -- under Coach DeCuire -- actually be an advantage for UM. The Griz play tough D, period. They clamp down on their opponents all over the court, and probably accept a lot of fouls as part of "the cost of doing business" as a hard-nosed defense. Think about a situation where some of that tight D
doesn't lead to getting called for a foul. Advantage, Griz.