Texas-La Tech game broadcast

[centkyref]

I have a very low expectation of the broadcast team when it comes to rules knowledge. I have to wonder if the play-by-play guy ever played the game. Early in the first half, La Tech was inbounding the ball from the end line in their offensive end. During the throw in, T calls illegal screen. The play-by-play guy says Tech got called for 3-seconds. The analyst bailed him out and noted the illegal screen.

Late in the half, things got really fun for the guys behind the mic. Texas missed a shot, Tech player grabs rebound and on the way down contacted Texas player in the face with an elbow. L (new T) called intentional foul per new rule. Analyst goes on and on about this being new rule in college ball, how great the call, we gotta protect "the kids", etc.

Refs get together briefly, then explain to the two benches what they got. Kid from Texas goes to the line and makes 'em both. Texas inbounds from the endline and scores.

Tech inbounds the ball, the guard gets about twenty feet up the floor. TWEET! Two of the refs get together and its obvious: Houston we have a problem. The wrong guy from Texas shot the free throws. Correctable error. The refs handled it correctly; got the right shooter on the line & resumed POI.

The guys behind the mics were completely lost. Play-by-play guy didn't have a clue at all. The analyst kept talking about do-overs and how the refs must be looking at the monitor to see how much time to put back on the clock. He said he was sure the NCAA coordinator of officials would be seeing this one, and that memos would be coming out to reminds the refs the correct ruling. Both were stumped that the free throws would be "done over" but the refs were allowing the field goal by Texas to stand.

During the halftime break when they threw it back to the studio, Fran Frischilla set them straight (mostly) by just about correctly explaining correctable errors.

I'm thinking about contacting ESPN to see if I could do a little rules seminar for their on-air guys (for a low-low fee, of course)