Not A Good Day To Be An Official

It is implied that officials should opt to swallow their whistle when the game is on the line. They are taught to let the players dictate the outcome of the game and not call touch fouls that could alter the course of a game. Too many times in the past, an unnecessary whistle has changed how the end of a game has played out. Last night’s hotly contested Georgetown/Villanova game provided yet another example of a situation where the referees were in clear violation of their civic duty, and it cost Villanova a game that they really needed.

With the game tied in the waning moments of regulation, Jonathan Wallace ended up with the ball after a mad scramble, but it was clear when he got the ball that he was in no position to hit a game-winning shot as he struggled to stay in-bounds nearly 75 feet from his own basket. That’s when the slightest bump from Villanova’s Corey Stokes led the official to blow his whistle, leading to the game-deciding foul call with 0.1 seconds left. The senior point guard is Georgetown’s best free throw shooter, and one of the best in the conference at 80%. It would be almost impossible for him to miss both with the Hoyas already in the double bonus. Wallace, as expected, would hit both free throws, and with the impossibility of getting a shot off with the time remaining, the game was effectively over. 55-53 Georgetown, earned directly from an official using his position of power in a terrible fashion.

Down 12 on the road in the second half, the Wildcats crawled their way back into the game against the favored Hoyas, who stood at the top of the Big East. After a promising start to the season, Villanova has sputtered and was desperate for a win against Georgetown to try and work their way back into NCAA contention. The Wildcats showed tremendous resolve, and managed to tie the game at 53 before the unfortunate series of events took place. The way the final possession transpired for the Wildcats, it was clear that the worst-case scenario for Villanova was overtime. Given the way they were able to comeback, it was clear the momentum was on their side and they could have won this game in the extra period.

It definitely wasn’t a good day to be a referee in college basketball as another high quality game was decided by a controversial ending. In a rematch of last year’s women’s national championship game, Rutgers almost beat, wait let me say should have beat, defending champion Tennessee after a clock malfunction allowed the Vols to win 59-58. On the game’s final possession, the Vols received the break of a lifetime when the clock momentarily stopped at 0.2 seconds allowing Nicky Anosike to grab a rebound and get fouled. To her credit, Anosike calmly hit both free throws, and the top-ranked women’s team was able to win, but clearly the temporary pause of the clock allowed her to have enough time to draw a foul. Clearly, the officials should have been able to deduce this when they looked at the instant replay during the hysteria that followed.

Unfortunately, gaffes by the refs are way too common in sports, and after a few days these extremely questionable calls will be forgotten, and we’ll have to wait for another iffy call to scrutinize.