not a fan...

[mutantducky]

Sometimes when I watch the big time games the officiating has been very good. For the most part the Cal vs Virgina game was at a high level for example. But I've seen some mid-range to lower div 1 games this year where the officiating has just been poor and the problem is this NCAA directive about cleaning up movement and cutting back on physical play. I just don't see any consistency and as a fan it is making potentially good basketball turn into a war of attrition with teams going away from any aggression on D. Basketball should be entertaining and good for the fans. Players are upset, fans are upset. Teams going into bonus FTs with more than 10 minutes left. Refs calling rebound fouls when you can easily let those go. A defensive player has position, gets the rebound, then you can just ignore the minimal contact from behind. A lack of flow, off ball fouls being called and the tv people are showing the replay and they can't understand why a foul is being called away from the ball with seemingly no contact or in such a way that it was so minor as to not effect the play. Offensive player makes drive, there may be contact. Is it illegal contact? Why do you have to call a foul just because there is contact? How are players supposed to play D? You can't use your hands, guy gets passed you, teammate goes to help and offensive player makes a bit of contact into the D. Whistle on defensive player. I was rooting for a team and there was a player who had 12 fts because of that and even I was thinking half of them were bad calls that didn't need to be made. The big game refs don't call a lot of that. I learned that early on that you don't need to blow your whistle everytime there is contact and I don't get why refs at the NCAA div 1 level hasn't learned that and in part I blame the NCAA with all the new rules. Games should not be a chore to watch and that's what it is turning into for too many games.