Big Ten Officiating

[hawkdrummer1]

Much has been said over the years about the quality of Big Ten basketball officiating. From Jim Bain to Ted Valentine. But in my many years...I don't think I've ever seen it worse than this season.

I watched a handfull of other (non-Iowa) games over the last few weeks. It's bad everywhere. Letting a defender clobber a driving player on one end, guys get their arms ripped off like a scene from Beowulf, all with no whistle...and then they call a quick touch foul seconds later on a guy who barely makes contact. And at the end of games... forget it. Guys are getting knocked to the floor and blatantly pushed away under the basket and the whistles are already in the lockers.

And at the risk of sounding like too much of a homer... the preferencial treatment given to the chosen ones (Izzo and to a lesser degree Ryan) is too obvious to deny.

What gives?

 

[ssckelley]

I agree it has been bad across the board. Weird but tonight's game was the best I have seen in awhile.

 

[uihawk82]

The last couple of years have been terrible. All the money in bball and maybe they need more training, higher standards, a 4th game official.

 

[WindsorHawk]

It's never going to be acceptable to fans. We notice every mistake...if in doubt we rewind and watch it again to see for sure. The other problem is the officials can't keep up with the pace. When Iowa plays teams like Minnesota, Michigan State and Illinois that want to run with us it's up and down the court for 40 minutes.

 

[lightning1]

The one thing I have noticed is there is a pattern to how the refs are calling these games. Seems like the first half they call every touch foul, putting several starters on most teams in foul trouble. Then they come out and swallow their whistles in the second half, until around the last 7 minutes of the game. They start calling fouls again until the last 2 mins. Then swallow. I sat there and waited for it to play out that way throughout the half time break. I wasn't disappointed.

 

[kctom]

I think it's time for a 4th Ref, make the bonus 8 could and dbl bonus 12.

The Refs have been horrible in Iowa games, for and against (like Olys goal tend) and in Cuse vs Duke, or Wisky v t OSU. They simply blow to many calls, specially the charge and defensive verticality non call, or swallow the whistle during last drive to hoop forbgame winner.

They've sucked universally....

 

[LawVHawk]

I think it's time for a 4th Ref, make the bonus 8 could and dbl bonus 12.

The Refs have been horrible in Iowa games, for and against (like Olys goal tend) and in Cuse vs Duke, or Wisky v t OSU. They simply blow to many calls, specially the charge and defensive verticality non call, or swallow the whistle during last drive to hoop forbgame winner.

They've sucked universally....

Disagree with a fourth official. Just seems like you'll be increasing the potential suckitude by 33 percent.

 

[H8IAST8]

The court is so small, 4 refs would be overkill IMO. Why is it that all the refs are over 40 and more often over 50? This is the one job where youth would prove to be beneficial over 30 years of experience.

 

[seepig]

It's never going to be acceptable to fans. We notice every mistake...if in doubt we rewind and watch it again to see for sure. The other problem is the officials can't keep up with the pace. When Iowa plays teams like Minnesota, Michigan State and Illinois that want to run with us it's up and down the court for 40 minutes.

Really!? So Appling's travel that set Fran off and Gesell's mugging at the end of OT were missed because they couldn't get up and down the court? That's a bit of an excuse don't you think? Now what they do do is assuming something happened and call it.

 

[WinOneThisCentury]

I'm just looking for some consistency...that's all. If you know the way it's going to be called fine...play with that expectation. I honestly think the officials are confused sometimes...they go into the games with the intention of stopping the mugging to allow for a cleaner basketball game, but then the "I don't want to affect the output" comes into their heads, and away go the whistles...ala our HOME game against MSU...both Basabe and Gessel were fouled period at the end of the game and OT. Those plays shouldn't have mattered...we should have shot 75% from the line and it's a moot point...plus we missed countless points in the paint during that game.

I honestly can't remember so many missed calls that are so bad that you just wonder what the hell is going on. I saw Craft run at Jackson yesterday in the Wisky game, hammer him with body and hands and Jackson as so off balance from the contact he couldn't even get the ball on the floor...the call...Traveling. Applings travel another...and it goes on and on. Those aren't difficult to make...and there are three of them.

 

[AZHAWKFAN1]

Maybe have just NCAA officials, not tied to a specific conference. Games would/should be called the way they would be in the March tournament. The Izzo factor would be reduced.

 

[sportstalent]

Well, when you have talking heads like Crotch Itch saying: "You know I love Craft, but how can that official call the foul 20 ft away from the play? (Replay shown) He may have hit him in the head, but that official shouldn't clall that."

It was a foul and one that Craft normally gets away with, so someone finally called it and the fungal infection gets upset with the ref for calling a foul???????????????????

So when there is critics like that out there that question refs based on player rep, how will there ever be any consisteny?

 

[ssckelley]

Maybe have just NCAA officials, not tied to a specific conference. Games would/should be called the way they would be in the March tournament. The Izzo factor would be reduced.

I like this, at least for the BCS conferences have them mixed up.

 

[ibahawkeye]

I'm not exactly sure how you do it but the NCAA needs to look at the NBA when it comes to officiating. These guys are at a different level. The NBA refs are employees of the league, where as the college officials are essentially independent contractors who receive their games from an assigner.

The problem is that if you have all the other sports that would need to follow.

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

Want to fix officiating- Take the shot clock away or better yet just rewind the clock to the early 80's..

 

[linus19]

https://m.facebook.com/pages/Fire-J...urr-the-worst-Big-Ten-referee/197341166945326
I have to agree. When I see Jim Burr doing one of our games I can expect at least half a dozen bad calls from him alone.

The court is so small, 4 refs would be overkill IMO. Why is it that all the refs are over 40 and more often over 50? This is the one job where youth would prove to be beneficial over 30 years of experience.

 

[H8IAST8]

Maybe have just NCAA officials, not tied to a specific conference. Games would/should be called the way they would be in the March tournament. The Izzo factor would be reduced.

For the 20th time, they are this way already. They are tied to region primarily. Sanzere, Burr, Boraski all have games in different conferences.
Bo Boroski Officiating Schedule - College Basketball Referee
Mike Sanzere Officiating Schedule - College Basketball Referee
Jim Burr Officiating Schedule - College Basketball Referee

 

[1hawkeye1]

Want to fix officiating- Take the shot clock away or better yet just rewind the clock to the early 80's..

I'm not following you here