A recap of the end of today's game
by Mike Rutherford on Jan 30, 2010 2:52 PM EST
in Basketball
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PrintLouisville leads by a point with less than 25 seconds to play as Joe Mazzulla drives toward the basket. Mazzulla is accidentally tripped by Rock Buckles and the ball goes off of his head and out-of-bounds. No foul is called on Buckles, and the ball is awarded back to West Virginia.
Devin Ebanks sinks a jumper to put the Mountaineers up one.
On the other end, Reggie Delk attempts a three-pointer from the corner and is knocked to the ground. In a game where 46 fouls were called and the home team shot 35 free-throws, no whistle was blown. Delk's shot bounces off the rim and appears to be knocked out-of-bounds by West Virginia's Ebanks. The ball is not awarded to Louisville right away, however, because referee Mike Kitts was ducking to (apparently) avoid potentially being hit with the ball instead of watching the action of the floor, a move which goes against every training basketball officials on any level receive.
Instead of deferring to the possession arrow (which belonged to Louisville), the officials head to the scorer's table to review the play, blatantly disregarding the officials' rule book.
Rule 7, Section 3, article 1, section b
Section 3. Ball Touched Simultaneously/Officials’ Doubt
Art. 1. Play shall be resumed by use of the alternating-possession arrow when the ball goes out of bounds and:
a. Was last touched simultaneously by two opponents, both of whom are in bounds or out of bounds.
b. When the officials are in doubt as to who last touched the ball
The officials review the tape and somehow find conclusive evidence that the ball was last touched by a Louisville player. West Virginia makes two free-throws and the Cardinals miss a three-point attempt at the buzzer.
Another Louisville collapse in a game it desperately needed, another egregious error(s) by an officiating crew with the game on the line; it's all just a little too much to process right now.
This is the most upset I can remember being after a game in a long, long time.
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All true, Mike, but what about the 1-3-1 zone WVU threw at us? Pitino made no adjustment for it and a 70-59 lead turned into a three point loss.
Deon Rodgers
is the only good thing about today
I can barely think straight...
…but a number of thoughts.
1) Refs were terrible. Everyone can agree on that.
2) We need to take up a collection so Pitino can hammer the Big East refs this week and we can pay part of the fine.
3) The 1-3-1 zone was a great play by WVU and it seems like we had no answer for it. Then they went to a weird 2-3 zone that we also had no answer for. Another in-game adjustment Pitino gets beat on (Nova’s press break in the 2nd half being the other)
4) WHY DID PITINO CALL A TIME OUT TO LET WVU DRAW UP THAT PLAY?!?!? Same thing as the Pitt game.
5) I would also love to see Pitino get a T, since that seems to be the only way to get the refs to make good calls for you the rest of the game.
6) Another game where the other team had to have literally everything go their way in the critical time at the end, and our team had literally everything go against us, for us to lose. Just one different thing in the last 5 minutes (hit a shot, get a rebound, foul called on WVU at any point) and we win that game.
I’m sick. I didn’t think we were going to win, but I started to get a little excited up 12 with 10 minutes, even though I know 10 minutes is forever.
When they cut it to 5 I knew it was over. I think the players thought so too, the way things have gone this year.
Re #4
We must have been out of position or not matched up right. That’s what happens when Buckles is in when he didn’t play the whole 2nd half. It’s even worse when Rick calls TO and WVU still gets a wide open shot
After the game....
Mike…Are any of the problems that you mentioned in the thread opener ever discussed/addressed by Big East officiating committees? Is anyone ever held accountable to answer these grievances? I am not talking about missed calls, rather, rules violations such as the arrow call here against WVU and moving on the baseline etc. (prior games)?
Nope
ESPN talked about the end of the Seton Hall game fairly extensively, and nothing was ever said by the Big East.
by Mike Rutherford on Jan 30, 2010 3:04 PM EST up reply actions
Thats total bullshit
Something needs to be done about this. It’s in-excusable at this level.
-Dustin
I'm shooting off a quick e-mail now
The Big East is at least going to know I’m angry
by Chris Redman is my hero on Jan 30, 2010 8:49 PM EST up reply actions
It's been an hour and I'm still pissed about the end of the game
The Mazzulla one I can understand because that happened so fast, and they are human. But the ball was fucking flipped by Ebanks to the ref, who decided to duck like a bitch. I don’t know what the point of having coaches was the last 7 minutes, because the guys looked confused and lost. So frustrating. At least we play Monday
Homecookin...
Plain and simple. West Virginia is the most classless place in the country. And these refs the most gutless. They were intimidated. No matter what happened, they were going to give West Virginia the ball.
I refuse to blame these kids. They try hard, and they’re good enough to play with anyone in the country. They’ve shown that over and over again. Yes, they blew a lead, and they made some bad mistakes, but they played well enough to win. You can’t beat seven players, particularly when two of them have whistles. I’m just disgusted.
Completely agree
I don’t care if the game “shouldn’t have come down to the refs,” the fact is, it DID. And they completely blew it.
Only read this if you put it behind you...
Make no mistake, a brutal loss and my money is on the NIT, but if you look at February, with the exception of one game, we play easier competition, and get the good teams at home. I think we could absolutely be looking at a situation where we’re squarely on the bubble going into the last game against a top 10 Syracuse team. Just something to consider.
Finally get some candor from Pitino
“Tired of officiating.” http://wvmetronews.com/mediaplayer.cfm?storyid=34966&type=vid&source=story
thanks for that
I was wondering what he was sayin at first
by twistedwedge on Jan 30, 2010 4:33 PM EST up reply actions
it doesn't matter
By rule, it the refs aren’t sure, the possession arrow determines who gets the ball. The possession arrow pointed our way.
That reply was supposed to be to a different comment
Something about the comment posting script is whack. My comments are going to the wrong places, previous comments are appearing when I hit post… Mike, do you know if SB*Nation changed something recently?
I don't blame Pitino for speaking up.
What’s he got to lose? U of L has played its heart out and repeatedly watched helplessly as the official iced the game for the other team. The calls aren’t even questionable. They’re obviously wrong. It seems crazy to suspect a Big East conspiracy of some type, but you’ve got to wonder exactly what IS going on at this point.
I still don't see CONCLUSIVE evidence
I think it should have still went to the possession arrow.
-Dustin
I'd say
the projection of the ball (clearly changing directions off Ebanks’ hand) is conclusive… unless of course, there was a sudden gust of wind that came and went at that exact moment…. or worse…. GHOSTS!!! Fucking GHOSTS!! Always trying to mess up basketball games. What’s their deal anyway?
by REALISTICCARDSFAN on Jan 30, 2010 6:38 PM EST up reply actions
Are you saying it did go off Ebanks?? I'm not sure.
Looking at it now, it looks like it went off Jennings.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g124/Civicman86/WVU.jpg
(I’m still not sure how to post pics on this site)
-Dustin
I can't tell who's hand that is.
But the WVU kid did say that it was off him, so that’s further proof. I’m just more upset about the fact that the refs don’t know the rule book. Should have been our ball.
by CardinalDude on Jan 30, 2010 4:19 PM EST up reply actions
WVU kid
The “WVU kid” was DaSean Butler, to the right of Ebanks. It’s clear from the videos and photos that it wasn’t off his hand. (Whether it was off Ebanks or Buckles is a different issue).
Doesn't matter anyways.
The refs didn’t know who it went out on, so by rule the have to use the possession arrow.
by CardinalDude on Jan 31, 2010 7:49 AM EST up reply actions
Looks like Buckles, but then what was the call? Were they checking the clock at the monitor?
They gone have to stop sleeping on me one day.. I gotta be one of the best
About 3 hours ago by Eric Wright Cleveland Browns – Cornerback
Burke and Patrick said they were checking the clock
But obviously they were checking for possession, which they can’t do.
by CardinalDude on Jan 30, 2010 9:21 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, buckles is darker, and the curve of the hand
Both say it was him. Regardless, there was no call made at the time of the play, as far as anyone could see, so it should still have been a jump ball, right?
what got me more was the same thing RP
was mad about. The ball off mazzulas head
by twistedwedge on Jan 30, 2010 4:27 PM EST up reply actions
speaking of refs...
I flipped over to the UK/vandy game-and wouldnt you know it Thug Cousins elbowed a Vandy player and it was clearly something he should have got ejected over (didnt that happen in the Virginia Tech game the other night?) but they just called a regular friggin foul! Add to that he kept jawing at the Vandy player while walking away. Total BS
ESPNews guy
is more upset about the no-call on the “obvious” hack against Delk on his 3-point shot. He should have been shooting 3 free throws, instead they violate the rules to determine an out-of-bounds call on the rebound.
I’m with CRP on this. I am fed up with the BE refs.
Yes
How can he be collided into and a foul not be called. The entire end of that game was completely fucked up by the refs.
by CardinalDude on Jan 30, 2010 4:41 PM EST up reply actions
Watch the reaction..
…of the player who tackled Delk. Looks a lot like what our guards do on the press 50 feet from the basket. Immediately before a whistle is blown.
Yeah i know!
He knows he tackled Delk. WVU could have got away with murder and the refs would just close their eyes
DocCardsFan
The 'Ville, KY
love this
“At first, I thought it was their ball,” Butler said. “I had the rebound and then I knocked it out of Devin’s hand and I was like, ‘Ah, I’m stupid.’ But then the officials said it was our ball and I said ’good play.”
Like a lot of us I don’t care to place too much blame on the officiating, instead I usually turn the lens inward to se how we “lost” a game. But this is getting ridiculous. First the seton hall debacle and now this? You can’t win games with this kind of bad mojo working against you.
e
After an hour or two of thinking about it, I've come to a logical conclusion
Someone on Arizona put a curse on us after the Kuric dunk. Nothing’s gone right since
Another technical on the opposing coach, another change in the officiating.
Go back to the Nova game, coach gets a “T,” every call goes their way for the remainder of the game. Today’s game – same thing.
Definitely Buckles' right hand
Not even a hard call. Ebanks’ left hand is heavily taped (clearly visible as the replay begins). Ebanks’ right hand is also clearly visible as the ball is going OOB. The hand that sends the ball OOB is not taped. Plus, Buckles lunges his left hand after the ball as it’s going OOB. He wouldn’t do that if it were off Ebanks (note that Ebanks does not lunge after the ball on its way out). As far as another ref making the call (since the closest one is ducking), the taped hand makes it a lot easier to get that call right from another part of the court. Plenty of blown/missed calls in this game and most others, but this wasn’t one of them.
by doyle_lonnegan on Jan 31, 2010 12:15 AM EST reply actions
Missing the point
there was no call on the floor made by the 1 referee who could see the action, and the refs then went to replay to see who it went off of, which is illegal. Since there was no call made it should have been a jump ball situation with the possession arrow to Louisville.
it sucked that bad calls went against us
…but i’m a lot more upset that we blew a 10 point lead late in the game.
bad calls or no calls, this team has no killer instinct and our most obvious leader is a freshman. i would question more coach’s decision to sit siva and preston and play edgar and smith late in the game than i would complain about bad calls. smith maybe you could argue for defense but sosa is downright inexcusable at this point in the season.
Wish I read
your post before I posted mine, well said.
Pitino
This will seem like it is coming out of left field but what bugs me the most about this is two things. 1) Don’t blow a 12 point lead and none of this matters. 2) No recruits coming in next year makes all of this seem way worse. I think we have to prepare for the worst this year and next year. We are only losing players next season. i know the officiating was bad and I know Pitino had to save his family and this likely affected his recruiting for next season. I think we are going to have to be very patient because I don’t see this situation improving any time soon and close games will always bring scrutiny in officiating. I’m not going to give up on Pitino and I think he can turn things around, but I don’t see us getting any better results next year either and that makes games like this harder to take.
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