Did any of you see the BYU-New Mexico game ( yes we do get some ESPN here)?

If you did not see the game... close game BYU ties the score with like 3. something on the clock. New Mexico inbounds the ball and the dribbler has to run around a BYU player celebrating on the floor to try and get to the other end...

The officials made a great call and whacked the BYU player and sent NM to the line to shoot 2 with 2.9 on the clock. Gutsy call and the right one.

Moral of the story if it can happen it will... and Never Never let your guard down especillay in the last 30 seconds of the game!

I missed the highlight.
 

Hey Kevin, I hope you are well my friend. ;)

Not sure I understand what happen? What was the T for exactly? I saw the aftermath of the T, but not what happen to get the T. Could you please give some more information.

Peace

The player came onto the court from the bench celebrating and got in the way of the players before the game was actually over. The kid got a temporary reprieve when they missed both shots from the T. They did go ahead and score after that.
Do you know how many times sportscenter is on when the weather is bad and you are home from work? Too many!

there was another thread on this: Titled something like. "Did he guess on the T in the NM game"

Hey Kelvin! It's Brent Cooley from Salt Lake. When are you coming home? Hope you're doing well over there. I'm very appreciative of all you're doing over there, to help preserve the security of our great nation. Take care, see you soon!

Kelvin:

I just read the articles that were posted in a later thread concerning this game. Since you saw the play, can you enlighten us with more information about what you saw. Thanks.

MTD, Sr.

careful with the prasie
 

It turns out that this was not a great call. There was an inadvertant whistle andthe
BYU player thought there was a timeout. The official who blew the whislte did not acknowledge it and the T was allowed.

He was subsequently suspended for two games and not allowed to work in the league tournament.

I saw the play but it sounds like from the evidence it was not a great call, but at the time not knowing there was a whistle it was.... Bigelow still should not assume a whistle means time out in that situation...

From what I've read (I haven't seen the play), the T is still warranted regardless of the inadvertent whistle. That kid has no idea, even if he hears the whistle, what the whistle is for. Could be a foul or violation. Until that TO gets reported, he's got no business running onto the court.

common sense
 

With second to go and a tying basket made the normal assumption on a whistle is a timeout by the team gaining the ball.

The officials blew this one big time, not because they missed it, which we all do at times, but because one of them failed to acknowledge what he did, when it happened and let the players decide the game.

All it would have taken was a conference by the officials, one admitting what he had done and give the ball to New Mexico for the throw in with no technical.

This did not happen and the official recevied what he derserved.

Mistakes happen and as officials we need to step up and admit to them and not allow egos to get in the way of the game.

I don't disagree with anything you wrote. Common sense should also tell the player to not run onto the court until he sees the ref at least point to a bench. I'll admit I don't know for sure if the T was warranted, because I didn't see it. I'll leave it at that.

Agreed that "he's got no business running onto the court", but the NCAA rules make allowance for it in certain near- the-end-of-game celebrations.

I also didn't see it, but it's not an automatic T fro running on the court in this situation.

If you follow BYU, you know that they take their timeouts in the "bench area" between the sideline and nearer lane line. At home they even have five stools they bring out for the players to sit on. So it's the ususal thing for them to be out on the floor during a time out. Yesterday (BYU v. UNLV) I watched Coach Cleveland walk out nearly to the free-throw lane line (and I was honestly wondering what the heck he was doing...and expecting to see a T), before the official finished up what he was doing and acknowledged the TO request. What's my point? At this level, there are obviously allowances made for the normal course of the game. That includes players and coaches coming out onto the floor in a time-out situation. For the official to unexpectedly penalize this normally accepted behavior to attempt to cover his own backside is absolutely reprehensible! Bigelow had every reason to celebrate, and every reason to be out on the floor. A TO was requested (right in front of him, it sounds like). An official blew his whistle to acknowledge the TO request. That's a dead ball, folks. That's a time-out. Were it not for the poor judgement of one official, the game would not have amounted to anything more serious than another agravating road loss for BYU.

a loss maybe
 

From another post I read that New Mexico was out of time outs. If that was the case it would have been a "T." Two shots for BYU in a tie game andthe ball. I am not sure if they were out of time outs, but if that is the case then the outcome of the games was almost certainly compromised.

Re: a loss maybe
 

The penalty for an excessive TO in NCAAM does not include loss of ball. (Maybe I'm confused on the play -- but iirc, New Mexico had the ball -- so they'd have it again after the shots for the T)

Moral failure
 

I am a fan, not an official, but I did see the game. Lonnie Dixson, who has been suspended for 2 games and the MWC tourney, represents your profession very poorly. He was suspended, not for an inadvertant whistle, but for letting a college ball player take the heat instead of fessing up to what he did. After the T was called, the refs gathered for a long time discussing things. Dixson had every opportunity to stand up for a small mistake, but he let Bigelow take the blame and look like a fool on National TV. What kind of class is that? Thanks to some alert NM media for calling on the conference to do something about this.

But for Lonnie Dixson to make Bigelow take the heat, and virtually give the game to the other team, is very low. He should never be given a whistle to blow again in college basketball. He had time to make the right decision and fess up before the T shots, but he chose to be a weasel. Other officials should call on him to resign, if only to uphold the dignity of their profession.

Rlighten, lighten up a little. I don't think the Dixon is a poor representation of our "profession". Did he make a mistake? Yes. Is he being held responsible? Yes. Does the punishment fit the crime? Yes. You talk about Bigelow being made to look the fool. How many times have coaches berated officials after games to national media outlets, only to have the film show that the officials were correct. There are usually no big suspensions or anything, so it is a two way street that no one wants to walk down... BTW when did you graduate from BYU??

The suspension is probably less than I would give. The rest of the season would be appropriate. I am sure he has a regular job. It is a case of integrity and this official seems to have lost it. D1 basketball is big business and jobs are on the lne every game. Officials, if anything, must be honest. I question that here. If you make a mistake be strong enough to admit it and correct the situation immediatly. It looks like he was not going to say anything until shown video and audio proof. Is that the type of person that should be maintaining the integrity of the game?



If he did not want to grant the time out at the very least, say inadverant whistle, do not give the "T" to the BYU player and play on.

Yes, it is a two way street, but we officials need to be above that and held to higher standards than to coaches whose jobs are on the line based on winning and losing.

I don't care who wins or loses and my mortgage payment is not on the line each time I step foot on the court.

Caref, when was the last time you saw a coach fired or suspended for the entire season based on 1 mistake? When was the last time you saw a coach suspended at all for 1 mistake, which doesn't include breaking the law or partying with coeds or strippers?? I would tend to disagree with you on Mr Dixon's other employment. I don't know for sure, but he does work enough conferences that my guess is that this is his primary occupation. I could maybe even accept his suspension from the MWC for the entire season, but what about the Pac 10, Big 12, Sunbelt and all the other conferences that he works? I agree that he should have stepped up, he didn't and he is paying for it..

I haven't heard Lonnie Dixon's version yet. Something to think about.

as I said we need to be above that

cmathews, there is a big difference between a "mistake" and a "choice." Refs make mistakes regularly, but that is part of the game. Lonnie made a decision to stay quiet and let someone else pay the price for his mistake.

By the way, I saw he sell's officiating videos...kind of like Michael Jackson selling babysitting videos, isn't it?

JR I agree with you whole heartedly, and have mentioned this a time or two in this and other threads. Lonnie Dixon certainly doesn't need me to defend him, the games he has worked in the past speak for that (NCAA regional finals). Until we hear his side of the story we won't know all of the truth. To compare Lonnie Dixon to Michael Jackson is flat out wrong. Like I asked before Rlighten, when did you graduate from BYU??

Wow, in your second post you've managed to virtually destroy all your credibility. Impressive. A grotesque analogy, I might add.

1996. But according to refs, things like that don't matter. That is why an Arizona booster can officiate an Arizona football game against Utah, because officials are so pure that they could never show any bias.

So, cmathews, your implication that my opinion is of less value because I am a fan of BYU, would, I guess, also imply that either 1) refs are better than normal humans, or 2) that that refs bias' CAN affect their behavior.

Hmmm.

On a side note, I do find this website (which I discovered today on my quest to find Lonnie Dixson) quite refreshing. Officials are never heard from off the floor, so it is interesting to hear what you all have to say. But I do sense a bit of "us against them" attitude among the posts. Us against the coaches, us against the media, us against the fans. Excuse my diversion.

Rlighten,
I think it is interesting and proves my point that after 1 post someone could tell you graduated from BYU. Unless BYU shot 100% from the floor and the line, and committed no turnovers, Dixon did not hand the game to UNM. The timing of his mistake just happened at a point that it sticks out more so than if the same thing happened early in the first half. The Cougars on the floor lost the game. I am sure if you review the tape there probably are more than one call that depending on who is watching can be debated as to its validity. That is what fans do, that is the fun of being a fan. But in the end, if the tape is reviewed objectively, there will be several mistakes by BYU that if changed would change the outcome of the game. With that in mind, blaming an official for the loss is quite unfair, and the Michael Jackson comment is highly uncalled for.

lighten up...i think that was meant to be a joke

BBallinRick,
He hasn't built the credibility or the benefit of the doubt to make a comparison of a ref to Michael Jackson. Without that credibility built up, it sure looks like he's just trying to get a rise out of us. Problem is we see him for what he is.
BTW, regarding the game in question. Even the T didn't cost them the game since the free throws were missed. They still allowed the last second shot from the indbounds play.

Amen, JR!

I've still got the game recorded. 'T is too bad what happened, though. I saw it live, too.

And to Mr. Rlighten, you did say: "On a side note, I do find this website (which I discovered today on my quest to find Lonnie Dixson) quite refreshing;" Welcome! This ought to feel refreshing--glad to hear it. You referred to "us against them attitude?" So do most other common-vocationers, I'm sure. Rather, though, you might be experiencing 'complete un-bias.' Might be something new? Thanks for sharing your opinion though. btw, i watch every byu game. :)

Where did I mention outcome of the game??
 

Snackwell and Chris Matthews both claim I think it affected the outcome of the game. Did you read my posts? I never said anything like that.

My point: I think that Dixon is a weasel for not fessing up to a mistake.

And lighten up on the Michael Jackson line, it was funny and Dixon does deserve a lot of criticism for what he did. He makes you all look really bad, and I know you are not all bad.

But I am one of the loud-mouth hecklers that will call you out on any call I think is marginal. Just for the fun of the game. Do people like me make you mad, or do you just laugh?

Re: Moral failure
 

This quote doesn't imply that you think his mistake had something to do with the outcome of the game?? LOL Wow there goes more of the credibility...

As far as the heckler in you goes, if what you have to say is witty or original, I usually laugh to myself. If it gets personal or redundant, I just ignore it.. We all miss a few but we usually get the majority of 'em right. We usually know the rules or interpretations from our associations much better than the fans, and realize that this adds to their confusion, so I just take it with a grain of salt and chalk it up to bias and incomplete knowledge of the rules...

OK, loud mouth, what gives you the expertise to determine whether a call is marginal or not? Did you ever read a rule book in your life? Take a rules exam? Nope, just another fanboy, with absolutely no credibility. And no, you don't make us mad. We expect it from people like you.

I can't believe that people are even responding to this troll. Just ignore him. When he finds out that he can no longer get you going, he'll crawl back under the bridge.

Re: Where did I mention outcome of the game??
 

Neither. If you're in the stands you don't exist, so you are irrelevant. Until you cross the line, then you are gone. :shrug:

mathews, #1 I used the word virtually because a T with two seconds "usually" assures points to the other team. In this case it did not, so the outcome was "not" necessarily determined.

But I can tell a big difference between cmathews and Dinosaur...cmathews can laugh it off when fans get goofy, but Dino gets upset and lets his emotions take over. You have to remember, Dino, some fans use heckling as one of the good experiences about going to the game (me!)...so don't get upset and convince yourself how smart you are and how dumb they are. "They have never read a rule book." "They are so biased." Both are true, but neither matter! We are the fans and have a role. You are the refs and have a role. Forget about the fans, or laugh at the good lines and ignore the rest. I think I can identfy your type on the court, vs. cmathews type. Just like the difference between cops that have an "all powerful" attitude and the cool types who do their job, but don't assume that they cannot be happy or kind.

And, of course, the best part is when we can get a visual chuckle out of a ref. I have done that once, in Provo.

Do any of you all ref BYU games?

Where does it say Dino get's upset? Or that Dino cares what fans think? You don't exist as far as Dino is concerned. And that bugs you too doesn't it, troll?

Now go away and play with the other fanboys.

Hey Reptile, your arrogance is unbelieveable. What, your eyes work better at seeing when someone is hacked? You don't need a rule book for that. Officiating plays a lot in the gray, rather than black and white, but you act like your officials decisions are flawless and indisputable and fans are clueless. That for the fans to dispute a call is inappropriate. Nice attitude. Boy I would love to see you out on the court someday.

Tell me this Lizard, when watching a sport on TV that you do not officiate (I assume you are in basketball) and you see what you think is bad call against your team (or the opponent for that matter), do you think, "oh, I must not have seen it right" or do you yourself yell at the refs from your couch?

Are all refs perfect like you Lizard, or just some of them? Are you a MWC ref? I think I have seen you before.

rlighten,

So personal.

I believe you have crossed the line of 'in but not of'.

Were you one of the students who had problems with the Honor Code as well?

Fans have an opportunity on this site to redeem--to a degree-themselves. And believe me they are most definitely in need of 'redemption';). You, however, have only added to the need--and that is too bad.