Thoughts on pressure officials are under.

[Matt S.]

I officiate high school & D-3 women's bball. I was just honored to work a HS state tournament, and I've been assigned college conference tournament games in the past.

In my experience, the two sports are entirely different with respect to expectations and opportunities for advancement. Are there politics at all levels, you bet. But the things that college evaluators are looking for are quite different that high school. It also depends on the state that you're in...some states support officials better than others (I've worked in 7 different states, so I have a little experience in this regard).

If there are 1,000 NCAA D-1 men's officials, and only 10% work the tournament, and all of those games are nationally televised, than yes, there's gonna be pressure to be perfect. But Mr. Collins isn't going to expect perfection, and neither is any other decision-maker that has a true understanding of our craft.

If the NCAA directive is to 'survive and advance,' then that's what these officials are going to strive to do. But in reality, the best officials, and those advancing the furthest, are the best game managers. If you can handle coaches and manage difficult situations, you will advance in both level and depth of the season/postseason.

As one of my first mentors told me, "95% of all officials can handle 95% of all situations. It's the 5% that makes the difference."