Two weeks ago, Keon Lawrence of Seton Hall was inbounding the ball up 79–77 against the Cardinals with 0.7 seconds left.
Lawrence picked up the ball behind the baseline and then began walking onto the playing court while attemping to inbound it, which is an automatic violation and turnover.
Meanwhile, official Tony Greene had already began his five-second count when Lawrence inexplicably bounced the ball to Greene, who gave it right back to start the inbounds play over again. Seton Hall retained possession and iced the game.
Last Saturday, Louisville was up 74–73 against current No. 6 West Virginia with 19 seconds left when controversy arose again. The ball had clearly bounced out of bounds off the head of Mountaineer Joe Mazzulla, but the referees awarded possession back to West Virginia.
Da’Sean Butler scored off the inbounds pass to give West Virginia a one-point lead.
Louisville then headed down the court where Reginald Delk attempted a 3-pointer, got hit, and fell down with no call. The battle for the rebound off the miss forced the ball to land out of bounds.
The official, Mike Kitts, ducked to avoid being hit by the ball and did not see who touched it last. With 6.7 seconds left on the clock in a one-point game, the officials looked at each other, clueless as to whose ball it was.
The rules dictate that if a call cannot be made, the ball must be awarded to the team with the possession arrow, which was Louisville.
The officials supposedly decided to check the monitor in order to determine why the shot clock was still on. They came away from the monitor with the decision that it was West Virginia ball.
Determining who touched the ball before it went out of bounds is not a reviewable play. The Big East later admitted on Monday that the officials made procedural and communication errors at the end of last Saturday’s game.
Cardinals coach Rick Pitino was livid. He refused to comment extensively on the game and just said, “I’ve had it with the officiating. So I’m not going to say anymore. I’ve had it.”
Clueless officiating is not limited to the college ranks. The Milwaukee Bucks’ Andrew Bogut was fouled on a play in the third quarter against the Houston Rockets in a game played Jan. 18. Instead of stepping up to the free throw line, the 59.4 percent free throw shooter lined up in the lane.
Teammate Brandon Jennings, an 81.8 percent free throw shooter, stepped up to the line and shot a free throw. The referees counted the basket and Jennings was about to shoot the second one before Rockets players waved their hands around in protest.
The referees finally realized what happened and made Bogut shoot both free throws.
Learn From the Pros
The one advantage that the NBA has over the NCAA is that NBA officials are employed by the league. They are evaluated on their performances after every game and receive fines when warranted. They even watch tape after games.
Some of the reasons for the inconsistent officiating in the college ranks this season must be attributed to the fact that each conference has a separate supervisor who watches over officials. In addition, the officials are allowed to move from conference to conference.
The inability to maintain a cohesive officiating staff that is under the same management and guidelines is making the job of officials even more difficult.
The advanced technology of instant replay gives officials a second chance to “get things right.” Because going to the monitor too often interrupts the flow of the game, a rule ought to be implemented that allows officials to review certain plays within the last two minutes of the game, as in the NFL.
Making calls like determining possession of a ball is a game-changer in tight contests and teams deserve to have the right calls made. Just ask Louisville, whose two losses could keep them out of the NCAA Tournament.
