Last Second Shot: Kansas State at Kansas
 

Thoughts on the coverage of this play:

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Putting myself as the C in transition, the "travel" was probably missed due to the secondary defender (#32) setting up in the key as he would get my attention during the drive. I'm not sure why the L was rotating during the drive.

There is good constructive discussion to be had here, let's keep it to that.

I can agree with your analysis of the Slot official. I understood why the Lead rotated -- he knew the amount of time remaining and correctly anticipated that there would be a layup play at the rim. He saw the offensive player coming down Slot side and got over there to have the best look at the play coming down the pipe. There are a LOT of hits on the arm that are missed between Lead and Slot during these drives down the weak side lane line (example: this NBA play from a couple years ago) and he got over there to see those.

This is a blatant traveling violation. The player took FOUR steps after ending his dribble. It is unfortunate that the winning score resulted from this. The defense didn't have a fair chance.

Thanks for the dialogue. I guess it's one of those things that you "had to be there" on the floor or through experience that the Lead figured to rotate on the drive. In the end, the KU player's drive ended up where the L started from. The L also ended up with a closed look with a view of KSt #32 back; he did a good job staying vertical.

NVRef, good input.

I agree the travel was blatant but with everything JD Collins preaching about officiating the defense first on drives to the basket, how else is the C supposed to officiate this play in transition? I'm not expecting the KU player to pickup his dribble that far from the key and would look into the paint for the secondary defender. For me, this is a hard play to dissect for coverage. In the end, it'll unfortunately go down as a NCI for the C.

I believe that the Lead should be responsible for that secondary defender. As C, I would be focused on the ball-handler and any primary defender near him.

This is a bad miss, which impacts the outcome of the game. This is the kind of violation that officials are supposed to catch. We discuss quite frequently that we want to get the travels which give a clear advantage. This one is in that category.

I don't think it is that blatant. I think and argument can be made that he did not actually end his dribble until his right foot is down. Then he steps with his left, jumps from that foot, and completes the layup. The play looks ugly because he lets the ball come up to his left shoulder, but until the point that his right hand touches the ball, we cannot know if he is going to legally dribble again, or end his dribble.

Agree. It happens quick in real time. Fact is. Lot of these type travels aren't called in college. Didn't see the r st of game but I'm betting this wasn't the only one not called.

I am a life long KU fan and I called traveling as I watched the game live.

MTD, Sr.

I do agree. It just isn't called much anymore at that level if it happens quick. I see most euro steps as travel. Pivot foot up then down before ball released. Doesn't do me any good to be only person calling it travel.

I have a good buddy who is a KU fan which means I must now cheer AGAINST KU at every opportunity, :D:D, and I ALSO called traveling, via text to my buddy, as I watched it live.

The announcers caught it on the replay.

If it takes replay to call traveling, it's probably more marginal than people think.

I agree with you on this one most of the time, but this was bad. And it started in open space.

Peace

I see him catching after leaving from his right foot, putting his left foot down (pivot foot). He then steps with his right, and his left one more time before alighting for the shot. It's a travel, but I certainly don't see 4 steps.

In real speed, I caught it and verified it in slow motion. But that final high dribble makes it look much worse than it really was, I think.

I see the same possibility. Told some folks that in a non-officiating forum. Definitely not 4 steps. The earliest he may have gathered is with the left foot down followed by a right foot-left foot step sequence, which would be a travel. But I could see an argument for that the gather wasn't complete until the right foot was down.

Bottom line, it's not as blatant as people want to make it seem. As Adam pointed out, the high dribble throws it off.

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Count me in the camp that thinks this was not a travel, or perhaps a very marginal one at best. Not blatant. Also, it took me looking at the play in slow motion ten times to come to that conclusion, which says something. If I'm the slot and I'm not 110% sure in that situation, my lips are sealed.

What looks bad isn't always bad. I've had lots of occasions where I thought I might have missed a travel (as did one bench and half the crowd), only to look at the video later and determine that I indeed did not miss it. Of course I've also confirmed some of my own NCIs, but we won't talk about that. ;)

Bottom line is that these types of travels are very hard to have a reasonable level of certainty on, especially when focusing on torsos and restricted areas at the same time. Many of them get missed. Maybe Steve Kerr is on to something with the idea of assigning a fourth official that focuses solely on travels. Not that I ever want that idea to come to fruition....

Thanks for the input fellas, lots of "bottom line" opinions. ;)

I'm on the side with you guys as it's not as easy a call on the floor to make as it seems.

The peers in my area are of the mindset on this type of play (and I'm one to agree with): "I'd rather miss a violation that IS there, than call a violation that IS NOT there."

WRONG.

Not even close to four steps. At most it's a pivot foot lifted and returned, no worse than any other travel.

He ended the dribble with the right foot on the floor (right foot the piviot) and stepped to his left, his right (travel), and then his left one more time.

So, it is more than a basic travel of lifting the pivot and returning it. He did that and still took one more.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...-6FTMkgp-L.png

I have the left as the pivot.

My image wasn't loading right when you replied. Look at it now...ball clearly in both hands with the right foot down just after the left came up....before 3 more steps.

The only way the left was the pivot is if he actually caught it before my first screenshot....but that would make it even worse.

Whichever foot was the pivot, he lifted and and returned it to the floor. I see 3 steps. It is a clear travel and a miss by the officials. Because it is a last second play, it is going to be magnified. I would be interested to know what the Big 12 supervisor rules on the call.

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At the risk of sounding like someone else here, I still have the left as the pivot. Regardless, it's still a travel.

If I slow it down. He may have touched ball with two hands ending dribble, 5 feet outside 3 line.

I don't like slowing it down because I don't referee in slow mo. It happens so fast and, again, at that level they are accepting that it is ok. I wish we had a view of Weber to see if he is screaming travel. As I mentioned earlier, I called a euro step travel next play down my partner doesn't. Problem.

If it's allowed on both ends it isn't a complaint. I don't like it but as I've said before, it does the game no good if I'm the only person calling travel.

There's no doubt this was travel.

Can I ask what, in the screenshots I provided, leads you to not see the first frame as holding the ball with the right foot on or just coming down to the floor? (I know you're not suggesting he had picked up the ball on the prior step on the left foot.)

Are you saying that, live, you would have only recognized the left as the pivot due to the speed? (OK with me if that is what you're saying)

Unless there had been travel calls on similar plays throughout the game, I probably would have passed on it and then wondered if I got it correct. With that much time, I am probably more focused on whether the player got the shot off in time or whether any contact is marginal or not. Then again, I've never worked a game with the benefit of having instant replay to determine whether the horn sounded first.

I think it comes down to when the dribble ends and I don't think the dribbler has two hands on the ball in the first picture. It looks like it in the picture near the half-court logo, but not when you watch the replay (around :28). He might not have two hands on the ball until both feet are in the air around the three point line (generous interpretation). Then, each foot touches the floor once, which would make this a correct no call.

First, two hands on the ball isn't necessary. When the ball comes to rest in one hand, the player is holding the ball and the travel rules come into effect.

However, even if we go by your opinion of when the player got two hands on the ball, it is still a travel.

For it to not be a travel, he would have had to catch it no sooner than near the FT line where the right foot is coming down.