Went over to the arena on campus last night (I teach at a community college) to watch the women's in a regular season game. It was quite a sloppy game, and our ladies were able to come back and win it in the waning minutes. Some observations:

1. I looked up in the NCAA rule book online after the game, but couldn't find anything, but the officials were using the team control signal for a player control foul sometimes, and then using the player control signal at others, but it was obvious by the number reported it was a player control foul (It doesn't slip by me that the person with the ball is in player control!). Does NCAAW have a distinction that they do not signal player control, but rather team control, or was this crew being inconsistent with their signals?

2. I had to cringe several times, when a foul was called on the rebounds, that it was signaled as "over the back" (you know, the "forbidden" signal). Of course, no such signal is diagrammed in the NCAA book, unless I missed it.

3. For some reason, our head coach was not there, and his assistant took the reins for the evening. When the crew introduced themselves to the coaches before the game, I noticed they were looking at each other puzzled when they realized the assistant was coaching. During the game, their interactions (well, at least for 2 of the 3) seemed like they didn't want to talk to her, or were really brief. They just didn't seem right, when compared to the visiting team's coach, who they were pleasant with and more tolerant of, even when this 6'9" guy went flying from one end of the coach's box to the other with his arms flailing and screaming for a call at one point. For those of you who do college ball, I guess I should ask this: If you were working a game where you realized the normal head coach was not there, and the assistant coach was taking the reins for the night, does that change how you officiate? I wouldn't change a thing, but it just seems like this crew did last night (or it appears they did).

(and yes, I double checked...no full moon last night!)