The Duke Treatment

[scoscox]

Eh it may happen a little. Refs tend to give the benefit of the doubt to better teams. I hear people complaining about this after our games a lot, mostly uc fans will complain about how refs handed us games, but we just tend to play a style that draws a lot of fouls

[X-man]

While there are always some fans ready to blame the officials every time their team loses, my experience suggests that they are a small minority at most schools. Bad refs, of which there are many, make bad calls no matter which team was involved.

Now there is one program, whose name surfaces here from time to time, that seems to have the vast majority of their fans always blame the refs when their team loses. That program...Dayton. Their fans have amply earned the nickname, the Cryers, for that reason. This is one big factor that makes me never want to see that program join the Big East. I have nothing against the team or program. But their fans are invariably obnoxious in all respects.

[The Partisan]

Gumby, I was wondering the same thing, but figured if the other BE fans bases are not saying "yeah, (blank team) got screwed in that game against Villanova" then it probably is not occuring.

[EMT]

Providence fans were more annoyed that Cooley sat KC most of the 1st half after his second foul vs complaining about the fouls.

It depends on which PC message board you went on. My goto site shuts down whoever blames the refs.

[milksteak]

This thread really needs Westbrook’s rational, unbiased opinion.

[MullinMayhem]

First and foremost, Nova is an absolute monster and credit Jay Wright for that. Strong, humble leader who can identify talent when others cannot and have nerds turn into stars by the time they're seniors. He always seems to have 2 or 3 inexperienced guys on the backburner getting ready to start after the other guys leave, so by the time the other guys graduate, they step right into starting roles and become studs. It's a cycle of winning. Nova gets guys who can stay 4 years and buy in to the system. They always reload and get coached up a ton. That's why they are great.

Now, do I believe that Nova gets preferential treatment compared to the rest of the conference? Yes I do. Is that the reason they're so good? Of course not. But they have gotten calls more than any other Big East team I've seen. Part of going to the line a lot is knowing how to sell fouls and Nova is good at that...but it's also due to kind refs to an extent. It's frustrating when you're a team like SJ that probably had a 3 game stretch consecutively where refs made back-breaking questionable or shocking calls within the final minutes that may have had a direct impact on the outcome. Still don't understand how they called Ponds for a foul when he was in position and a Nova player went directly over his back. So my answer is, yes the refs do seem to treat Nova extra nice. Would stats say the same objectively? I don't know, maybe not. But my eye test says they get lots of calls. Either way, is that the reason they're so good? Nope.

[Westbrook#36]

This thread really needs Westbrook’s rational, unbiased opinion.

No one really gets the Duke treatment except Duke and coach K and maybe Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse. Does Nova get the benefit of the doubt in key situations on 50/50 calls? Maybe, maybe, but nothing blatant, IMO. It's good to be king.

[MullinMayhem]

Jay Wright having to be held back as he screams at the refs last night and no technical. Mullin does the same and it's automatic. It's things like this that make you scratch your head. I understand they probably didn't want to call a T like that at the end of a close game...but knowing they would 100% do it to Mullin is what annoys me. Must be fair...if you call a T on one team for hanging on the rim, do it for the other team too. If one coach screams at a ref and gets a T, do the same with the other. Or just avoid calling stupid T's arguing with refs altogether. Mullin has been T'd up like 5x for yelling at half the level Wright was last night.

[EMT]

Jay Wright having to be held back as he screams at the refs last night and no technical. Mullin does the same and it's automatic. It's things like this that make you scratch your head. I understand they probably didn't want to call a T like that at the end of a close game...but knowing they would 100% do it to Mullin is what annoys me. Must be fair...if you call a T on one team for hanging on the rim, do it for the other team too. If one coach screams at a ref and gets a T, do the same with the other. Or just avoid calling stupid T's arguing with refs altogether. Mullin has been T'd up like 5x for yelling at half the level Wright was last night.

What point in game and score?

[MullinMayhem]

Jay Wright having to be held back as he screams at the refs last night and no technical. Mullin does the same and it's automatic. It's things like this that make you scratch your head. I understand they probably didn't want to call a T like that at the end of a close game...but knowing they would 100% do it to Mullin is what annoys me. Must be fair...if you call a T on one team for hanging on the rim, do it for the other team too. If one coach screams at a ref and gets a T, do the same with the other. Or just avoid calling stupid T's arguing with refs altogether. Mullin has been T'd up like 5x for yelling at half the level Wright was last night.

What point in game and score?

It was under 3 minutes I believe with Nova down 2 or 3. Something like that. Wright was literally being held back from the ref as he was screaming over the guy's shoulder. I agree it's dumb to call a T at a time like that, but what annoys me is the double-standard.