Refs in the SEC this year...

[BHDAU1 240]

I am usually not the type of person to complain about the refs working our AU basketball games, but I feel compelled to say something after the last few games.  It seems like this year more than ever the referees working our games are completely inconsistent in what is a foul and what isnt a foul. I have seen it change multiple times during the span of one game. While I'm not making excuses for Wiley, he rightfully has the biggest gripe of anyone. I think because of his immense size the opposing teams can hack away at him with impunity.  I would be willing to bet that if you watched just Wiley the last 3 games he was probably fouled 3 or 4 times for every one foul actually called.  It's not just AU games where I have noticed poor officiating either, I watch all of the UK games as well as any other SEC teams when I have the chance and it isn't any better at any other school. I dont think I would be going out on a limb to say that I think the officiating this year is the worst I have ever seen across the board.  I wonder if this is the result of a lack of training or something else entirely?  Does anyone else feel like I do this season? Am I being too critical?

[doverstutts 1,643]

Officials are usually people that are too lazy to get a real job, not all, but most. They are "look at me" types and want to make the game about them. Football is not as bad as basketball because the fans and the cameras are farther away, so football zebras are harder to recognize. Against Arkie, it was one official making the wth calls. what you bet that he took arkie and gave the point with his bookie?. Don't think that they don't bet on games

[gravejd 3,272]

2 hours ago, doverstutts said:

Officials are usually people that are too lazy to get a real job, not all, but most. They are "look at me" types and want to make the game about them. Football is not as bad as basketball because the fans and the cameras are farther away, so football zebras are harder to recognize. Against Arkie, it was one official making the wth calls. what you bet that he took arkie and gave the point with his bookie?. Don't think that they don't bet on games

The arky game did get bad. We got a string of close calls to start the second half and then just to get the crowd off their backs the refs called 3 very quick BS fouls on AU. One was on Okoro when they had a player climbing up his back for a rebound. Total and complete give the crowd a bone call and that crap should not be happening in an SEC game. 

[boisnumber1 2,828]

33 minutes ago, gravejd said:

The arky game did get bad. We got a string of close calls to start the second half and then just to get the crowd off their backs the refs called 3 very quick BS fouls on AU. One was on Okoro when they had a player climbing up his back for a rebound. Total and complete give the crowd a bone call and that crap should not be happening in an SEC game. 

I've noticed that the over the back calls have been virtually non-existent this year. Idk if it's the direction they've been given, but they virtually ignore the overwhelming majority of them in AU games. Same goes for the offensive player pushing off with his off-hand. That blatantly goes on, and they never call it. Last night there were also a few times where it seemed they blew the whistle before the contact occurred - especially when Jones had the ball. Seemed the foul was predetermined.

[AUBourne 425]

Why do people keep calling them SEC officials? Did something change? Basketball refs have always been contractor's payed for by the home team.  I get that the they have to be on a list of certified officials but they do not work for the SEC. They can work an ACC game today, and an SEC game tomorrow.

[Tiger 8,833]

I honestly can't get through any college hoops game without noticing how awful the officiating is. It's become a real problem.

 

But I tell ya what. If they kept everything the same and just fired Teddy Valentine I'd consider it a win.

[doverstutts 1,643]

1 hour ago, Tiger said:

I honestly can't get through any college hoops game without noticing how awful the officiating is. It's become a real problem.

 

But I tell ya what. If they kept everything the same and just fired Teddy Valentine I'd consider it a win.

TV Teddy is a typical "look at me" official, but as far actually making calls, he is one of the better ones. That tells you just how bad it is

[jared52 4,354]

The problem is as much is (me especially) as it is them. When I watch replays of wins without the stress of wanting to win, it really reduces the gravity of each missed call. There are certainly still times where I say that something was still a foul or question how the refs are calling a game (there were some bad ones like the foul on Okoro for blocking out while moving forward and getting called for pushing his guy backward when he jump on Okoro’s back), but I know that calling these games at the speed and power they are played at is very, very hard.
 

WT used to challenge me to put on the stripes and some days I really consider it just so maybe my attitude toward the refs might improve, albeit likely only slightly. 😂

[jj3jordan 2,078]

The ARKY crew was awful. Not to us just the whole game. Missed calls all over, make up calls were atrocious and laughable. Then outright vapor calls where there was no contact at all. Didn't feel like they slanted for ARKY or us just bad.

[around4ever 4,139]

2 hours ago, boisnumber1 said:

I've noticed that the over the back calls have been virtually non-existent this year. Idk if it's the direction they've been given, but they virtually ignore the overwhelming majority of them in AU games. Same goes for the offensive player pushing off with his off-hand. That blatantly goes on, and they never call it. Last night there were also a few times where it seemed they blew the whistle before the contact occurred - especially when Jones had the ball. Seemed the foul was predetermined.

Doughty gets quite a few predetermined calls as well when he drives the lane. 

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

3 hours ago, jared52 said:

The problem is as much is (me especially) as it is them. When I watch replays of wins without the stress of wanting to win, it really reduces the gravity of each missed call. There are certainly still times where I say that something was still a foul or question how the refs are calling a game (there were some bad ones like the foul on Okoro for blocking out while moving forward and getting called for pushing his guy backward when he jump on Okoro’s back), but I know that calling these games at the speed and power they are played at is very, very hard.
 

WT used to challenge me to put on the stripes and some days I really consider it just so maybe my attitude toward the refs might improve, albeit likely only slightly. 😂

Have worn the stripes in some pickup/rec games.

Is it hard? Yes. 

Is it so hard, it causes me to be inconsistent with my calls? No way. 

Consistency is all I want out of officials, and College Basketball has the worst of the bunch

[WarTiger 3,928]

9 hours ago, doverstutts said:

Officials are usually people that are too lazy to get a real job, not all, but most.  That's just a flat out LIE.  Unless you have PROOF ( and no the friend of your 4th grade kid doesn't count), you need to stop with this garbage.  It's just a flat out LIE.  Did you know the new supervisor of officials for football works for MICROSOFT?  Probably not, because you are so blinded in your hate for officials in general, that you just make up lies to justify your hate.  Must be a horrible life you live. I officiated basketball for 21 years all while working 40+ hours a week.  I do Football now, while working over 50 hours a week. On a football day, I get up at 5, at work by 5:30, home from work around 4 (that's normal year round), then get dressed for game, leave house before 5 usually for a game at 7, get home often 10 or after (that's all if the game is local to me).     They are "look at me" types and want to make the game about them.  Not even close to true either.  There's one out there, Ted Valentine that fits this mold. He's a terrific official, but he is the lone official (of all the college officials that I've seen) that wants to be noticed.   Football is not as bad as basketball because the fans and the cameras are farther away, so football zebras are harder to recognize. Against Arkie, it was one official making the wth calls. what you bet that he took arkie and gave the point with his bookie?. Don't think that they don't bet on games.  Where's your proof that they do??  Answer, you have NONE because you  just pulled it out of your ass like everything else you say about the officiating here.    Why don't you get off your lazy ass and start calling games? Help us make the game better since you hate what's on the floor now.   Go call a youth basketball game somewhere.  It must be an easy thing to do right?   You do have to know the rules though and how to apply them.   Go work a game and have the parents in the stands yelling at you, every single coach on each team bench yelling at you when you screw up (and you WILL MULTIPLE TIMES).... You won't last a full game.  Tell me the city your in and I'll even find out who you need to contact to get started.  It's a phone call away and there's a MAJOR shortage of officials all across the country.      Who knows, if you do make it through a game (which I doubt) you may actually find out how much fun it can be. 

 

[1auburn1 1,120]

The refs definitely got intimidated by the Arky crowd and made some of the most absurd calls on AU that I've seen in a while.   In fairness, the crowd usually intimidates the officials at Arky which is part of the reason it's so hard to win there.     That's why I thought last night's win was YUGE!

[WarTiger 3,928]

13 minutes ago, tigerbrotha12 said:

Have worn the stripes in some pickup/rec games.

Is it hard? Yes. 

Is it so hard, it causes me to be inconsistent with my calls? No way. 

Consistency is all I want out of officials, and College Basketball has the worst of the bunch

I think when most think of consistency, they really mean consistency within the crew.   They want every official to call it the same.  It's just not that simple during live action and having to make split second decisions.   Remember the game last night when McLemore ( i think it was) at the end of the half went up to contest a shot and the offensive player fell to the ground with  no call?  Who's to say if the trail official (If you officiate you should know what that means) would have called it the same way?   That's where the biggest problem is from my perspective.   I thought it was a terrific no call because the defensive player is allowed to leave his feet as long as he's straight up.  McLemore was straight up, arms/hands straight up in the air.  The fans were angry about it because it didn't favor their team and because they don't understand the rule or how to apply the rule. 

[WarTiger 3,928]

7 minutes ago, 1auburn1 said:

The refs definitely got intimidated by the Arky crowd and made some of the most absurd calls on AU that I've seen in a while.   In fairness, the crowd usually intimidates the officials at Arky which is part of the reason it's so hard to win there.     That's why I thought last night's win was YUGE!

I disagree.  Once an official gets to that level of calling games, they are not intimidated by the crowd in any way, shape or form.   Did they miss some calls, sure. It happens in every game across the country all season long, but it nothing to do with being intimidated by the crowd.

[BHDAU1 240]

There are a couple of areas that need major improvement in officiating, and I feel like the refs should be held accountable to some basic standards.  I completely understand that it is a very tough job and there will always be some errors.  I am not demanding unreasonable perfection.  The first and most important aspect is consistency of how much contact is considered a foul and making sure everyone on the crew understands that standard.  And the second important part of consistency is maintaining that standard from the very start to the very last second of the game. How many times have we watched games this year where the definition of a foul changes from one part of the game to the next on top of changing from one ref to another? The UK vs AU game was like that. Each half started out for the first ten minutes with very few fouls called on heavy contact to the crew calling touch fouls the last 5 or ten minutes of each half.  As I mentioned earlier,  I also think there is a tendency to let the big men absorb a lot more contact before a foul is called. If you slap someone across their arms it should be a foul whether it is Shaquille Oneal or Spud Webb.  With end of game situations fouls should be called the same way they were during the course of the game. There should be none of that "let em play" and swallowing their whistles just like they shouldnt start calling touch fouls if they havent been calling touch fouls all game. Ahem....UVA vs AU Final Four game...  Anyway, I normally wouldnt bring this stuff up but I feel like this years officiating has been really bad as a whole across the conference.

[mustache eagle 2,416]

My biggest problem with the refs ... is the rules they have to officiate to.  I’d like the rules to allow a little more contact.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,813]

i think its very hard to call our games, with our style of play. many people on here dont consider that. they havent been good either though

[Tiger 8,833]

Since I've seen Teddy Valentine mentioned a few times since I posted about him I want to say the major issue I have with Teddy is that he takes it upon himself to make games close. If a team goes on a run and starts to build an ~8 point lead you better pull your important players because he's going to try his best to screw up the gameflow with phantom calls on your stars to allow the opponent back into the game. It's why he's called TV TEDDY. He does this regularly. Betters know this and it influences the money being put on his games. Just think about that for a minute.

He has a reputation it's a freaking sham that he's even still employed. NC State filed a complaint with the ACC about his BS antics a few years back. Remember when Teddy Valentine got in the face of Mick Cronin's face? What kind of BS professionalism is that? Watch this and listen to Dan Dakich, former coach and player, however you feel about him he is in the industry, on the air went on a mini rant talking about how bogus of a ref he is: 

How about when he turned his back on then-UNC point guard Joel Berry when he was asking about a call? This guy is TRASH. Plain and simple.

[tgrogan21 6,198]

1 hour ago, Tiger said:

Since I've seen Teddy Valentine mentioned a few times since I posted about him I want to say the major issue I have with Teddy is that he takes it upon himself to make games close. If a team goes on a run and starts to build an ~8 point lead you better pull your important players because he's going to try his best to screw up the gameflow with phantom calls on your stars to allow the opponent back into the game. It's why he's called TV TEDDY. He does this regularly. Betters know this and it influences the money being put on his games. Just think about that for a minute.

He has a reputation it's a freaking sham that he's even still employed. NC State filed a complaint with the ACC about his BS antics a few years back. Remember when Teddy Valentine got in the face of Mick Cronin's face? What kind of BS professionalism is that? Watch this and listen to Dan Dakich, former coach and player, however you feel about him he is in the industry, on the air went on a mini rant talking about how bogus of a ref he is: 

How about when he turned his back on then-UNC point guard Joel Berry when he was asking about a call? This guy is TRASH. Plain and simple.

Was expecting that video to be around 10 minutes. With all of the shiz that he does during games, it could be way longer. Have we had a game with him as the ref this year? I don't recall seeing him in one ... which I'm very happy for. Wish the SEC wouldn't renew his contract.

[AUBourne 425]

11 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

i think its very hard to call our games, with our style of play. many people on here dont consider that. they havent been good either though

Yes, Auburn drives and attacks the basket. With our athletes and speed that is hard to stop without fouling. I'm surprised we dont get called for 5+ charges a game but you almost never see help side defenders set up for it. I don't know why.  Many times Samir gets bumped hard with body contact and there is no call. I feel like officials just get tired of calling it. 

[jj3jordan 2,078]

Seems like players can learn to play to the level or limits of the officials. If the officials establish how much contact will result in a foul, the players will play hard up to that point. I believe the players will learn how far they can go without a foul and live there. So if the refs can establish a consistent contact level, the frustration will be minimized. This can happen fairly easy in the early parts of the game. 

[AUGoo 2,666]

I pull my hair out watching these games.

 It is the lack of consistency that forces me to use my TV brick.  

If they are going to call it tight, OK.  If they're gonna call it loose, equally alright.  But, be consistent for the 40 minutes of the game.  

It is the in game changes in how the game is called that drives me crazy!  I don't know how the players  and coaches stand it.  

[Tiger 8,833]

17 hours ago, AUGoo said:

I pull my hair out watching these games.

 It is the lack of consistency that forces me to use my TV brick.  

If they are going to call it tight, OK.  If they're gonna call it loose, equally alright.  But, be consistent for the 40 minutes of the game.  

It is the in game changes in how the game is called that drives me crazy!  I don't know how the players  and coaches stand it.  

It's probably why Bruce sweats through suit jackets

[cole256 17,084]

Arky game was pretty bad.....guys on this board cry about stupid stuff though. We aren't a disciplined defensive team, we make up for it by effort and we are a good defensive team but not disciplined. Being stupid is why we didn't win a title last year. It ALWAYS come back to bite you in the end