The Refs Are All Right: Reviewing the Officiating of Purdue vs. OSU
by Semicorrect on Feb 8, 2012 8:14 PM EST
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PrintSo, about last night. That was one hell of a game, and against the odds it was a matchup of equals. Purdue and Ohio State both shot the lights out, especially on three-pointers, and the lead changed hands all night long. I was fortunate enough to have a ticket to the game, and any misgivings about the game starting so late (9:11 PM? Really, ESPN?) were soon forgotten. It was an supremely enjoyable game, and was anxious to see how Purdue and Ohio State fans reacted to the game. Ohio State fans were concerned but relieved, and Purdue fans were disappointed but encouraged that they had hung so tough with the #3 team in the country in such an even contest, and... huh?
We showed a lot of fight last night and we win that game without a huge assist from the refs.
This did not sit right with me. You may be wondering about my bias, and you'd be right: I am an Ohio State fan, albeit one with a Purdue alumnus for a mother. Sadly, we Ohio State fans have earned the ignoble reputation of being obnoxious and disliked, and I can see how how going onto a Purdue site after a painful loss to tell them they're wrong to complain about something could go over poorly. But my gut told me that the officiating wasn't so bad, and with the Author/Editor/Founder/DictatorForLife's encouragement, here is a review of every personal foul and notable no-call in the game. Calls are graded as Legit, Probably Legit, Questionable, Probably Bad, and Bad. If you would like to follow along, see here and here.
First Half:
18:20: Kelsey Barlow pushes off on Aaron Craft for an offensive foul. Legit call.
18:02: Travis Carroll pushes Jared Sullinger. Legit call, although in very physical games refs might not call it.
15:34: Jacob Lawson tips the ball out of bounds. Potential over the back not called on him. Probably legit no-call.
15:10: Sullinger hooks the defender, with no foul. Bad no-call, the second worst of the game for Purdue.
14:21: Craft is fouled on a drive, and makes the layup. Legit call.
13:40: Jostling between two players at free throw line, no foul. Legit no-call, but in a touchy game the referees could reasonably call a foul on either.
12:59: Lewis Jackson drives to basket, foul on Deshaun Thomas. Weak contact, but a probably legit call.
12:15: Jostling between Sullinger and Lawson. Foul could be called on Lawson, but isn't. Probably legit no-call.
12:02: Jackson drives, Sullinger called for a bump. Legit call.
11:05: Craft runs into Jackson's screen, no foul. Legit call, though a foul could be called in a touchy game.
10:51: Hummel bumped by Thomas at top of key with 2 on shot clock. The bump is pretty weak, but it's there. Legit call.
9:23: Craft sets screen for Sullinger, Lawson called for foul trying to fight through. Legit call.
9:12: D. J. Byrd drives, makes contact with William Buford. No call; this could either go as no foul or a foul on Buford. Probably legit no-call.
8:35: Robbie Hummel bowls over Evan Ravenel on a drive. No foul; probably bad call.
7:53: Sullinger driving in transition, Ryne Smith called for blocking foul. Legit call.
7:40: Kelsey Barlow makes a pretty good play. No foul here, just thought you'd enjoy seeing the play again.
6:14: Ravenel blocks dunk attempt by Sandi Marcius, foul on Ravenel. Legit call; Ravenel got the ball but bodied Marcius.
4:37: Lenzelle Smith Jr. called for reach-in. I couldn't see it from the video, but it seemed like a legit call in person.
4:06: Craft rebounds Hummel miss, reach-in on Terone Johnson. Legit call.
3:05: Byrd knocks ball out of J.D. Weatherspoon's hands, reach-in foul. Legit call.
2:33: Jackson called for reach-in on Lenzelle Smith drive. Probably legit call, but Lenzelle Smith embellishes contact after the whistle.
2:20: Hummel goes over the back, no foul. Probably bad call.
1:42: Jackson bumps Weatherspoon on an alley-oop attempt, foul called. Probably bad call; it would have had no effect on the alley-oop because the pass was so bad.
0:56: Jackson stripped of the ball on drive by Craft, no foul called. Legit no-call.
0:46: Hummel fouled on three-pointer by Sullinger. Probably legit call, but I didn't see him hit Hummel's arm. Maybe Sullinger stepped on his foot?
0:33: Terone Johnson pushes Buford on drive. Legit call. End of the first half.
Second Half:
19:52: Barlow drives for layup, Craft called for reach-in. Probably a bad call, I saw no contact.
18:49: Byrd tangles with Lenzelle Smith after rebound, called for foul. Legit call.
18:33: Buford makes layup. Contact, no foul called. Probably legit call.
18:07: Sullinger drives, blocking foul on Anthony Johnson. Questionable call.
17:56: Reach-in on Craft on Barlow drive. Couldn't see, but probably legit call.
17:26: Contact between Anthony Johnson & Thomas on jumper, no call. Legit no-call.
16:12: Sullinger moving in post; blocking foul on Carroll, who is shuffling his feet. Legit call.
15:19: Byrd hits three-pointer, is run into by Lenzelle Smith with no call. Bad no-call.
14:30: Lenzelle Smith gets offensive rebound and there is lots of contact on his put back attempt, no call. Probably a legit no-call.
13:29: Hummel mows down Craft; instead of calling a foul on Hummel, referees call phantom foul on Thomas, which happened after Hummel's foul. Bad call, second worst of the game for Ohio State.
12:46: Reach-in foul by Craft on Terone Johnson drive. Legit call.
11:45: Sullinger pounds in the post, is hacked on the shot, no call. Bad call.
11:28: Lenzelle Smith hits Ryne Smith's elbow on three pointer, foul called. Legit call. Mike Tirico predicts a make-up call at the other end here.
10:57: Blocking foul on Hummel on a drive. Legit call.
10:37: Reach-in foul on Terone Johnson on Buford drive. Probably legit call. Tirico thinks this is a make-up call.
10:07: Foul on Ryne Smith on Thomas putback. Probably bad call.
9:36: This is a complex play. There's lots of contact on the first few rebound attempts, after Sullinger knocked to the ground with no call. It's probably a bad no-call, but it's irrelevant because Buford is fouled by Ryne Smith immediately after. This is a legit foul, but as it was called on the wrong person (Byrd), it's a bad call, the worst of the game for Purdue.
9:18: Barlow drives, Craft called for a push. Questionable call.
9:07: Hummel called for reach-in on Sullinger drive. Legit call.
8:28: Sullinger creates contact with Anthony Johnson in post, foul called. Probably bad call.
8:11: Possible reach-in by Shannon Scott on Anthony Johnson layup attempt, no call. Probably legit no-call.
7:54: Sullinger is hit on the arm by Barlow on putback attempt, foul called. Legit call.
7:28: Ryne Smith drives, Sullinger strips the ball, no call. Probably legit no-call.
7:20: Jackson drives, Sullinger called for blocking foul on shot. Legit call.
7:00: Before a big dunk by Sullinger, a possible moving screen. Questionable call.
6:49: Jackson slams into Sullinger, blocking foul on Sullinger. Questionable call.
6:00: Will you permit a brief rant? Dan Dakich was irritating tonight. At about this point he says OSU just got lucky on a putback on the previous possession, then he mocks Thomas's defense on the other end, which he also did in the first half. Dakich has a deservedly good reputation, but cheap harmless quips can build up in the long run as indisputable proof of bias in the minds of homers.
5:21: Ravenel pushed out of bounds on a missed jumper, no call. Questionable no-call.
4:42: Carroll fouled by Ravenel on shot attempt. Legit call.
4:08: Barlow drives, possible blocking foul on Thompson. Probably legit no-call. The block is clean.
1:54: Jackson drives for a layup, has contact with no foul. Probably bad no-call.
1:07: Barlow drives for layup attempt, runs into Thomas, no call. Probably a block or charge: questionable call. Byrd clobbers Sullinger's face with his elbow, sending Sullinger to the floor; no call, out of bounds on Ohio State. Bad call, the worst of the game for Ohio State and worst overall.
1:07: Off the ball foul on Thomas. I didn't see this in person or in the replay, so questionable call or probably legit call.
0:48: Wild scramble after a miss. A couple possible over the backs, one against OSU and one against Purdue, no call. I'm okay with refs letting things go a bit in late game scrambles, so probably legit call. Dakich says Jackson is hacked on follow up without a foul; I'm not sure what all happened, but to be safe, probably a bad no-call.
A few more fouls from here on out, none of them controversial. End of game.
That was a pretty great game.
Yes, it was.
Chart?
No. Shut up and go away, alter ego. Leave your chart fetish at MGoBlog where it belongs.
After going through the various fouls and calls and no-calls, I can see how Purdue fans came to the conclusion that they were being hosed by the referees during the game. There were some definite blown calls that went against Purdue, such as the hook on what should have been Sullinger's first foul and the fourth foul on Byrd. But a comparable amount of blown calls occurred against Ohio State, and as the fouls didn't break up the flow of the game for either side, my conclusion is that the referees didn't favor either team or significantly alter the game with an imbalance of bad calls, and that overall the officiating didn't cost Purdue the game or hand it to OSU.
Interpret this data as you like. If you think I've missed something big, please let me know; if you think I'm a huge homer, you're absolutely right! But I assure you that any bias in this post is unconscious and I have attempted to make this as even-handed as possible. I'm rooting for Purdue from here on out. Play like that the rest of the season and you're looking at a deep NCAA tourney run. Best of luck!
---
Thanks to all of you for your feedback and constructive criticism. After looking at the game with your comments in mind, here is my response to some of it.
*Most criticism was about the play at 9:36 in the second half that ends up with a foul mistakenly being called against Byrd instead of Ryne Smith, the argument being that Sullinger should have been called for going over the back. (The live sequence starts at 1:36:50 in the ESPN3 video; replays start at 1:37:14 & 1:37:37.) Sullinger goes up for a rebound four times before he is knocked down, and although Lawson has inside position on the first two attempts, none of Sullinger's rebound attempts is a foul. I call this play complex because, although there are bad calls against both OSU and Purdue here of similar levels of incompetence (no call on Sullinger being knocked down and the foul on Byrd), the call against Purdue impacted the game much more but wouldn't have happened if not for the bad no-call hurting OSU. The appropriate reaction to this play, I think, is to go "man, these refs suck" rather than "man, these refs gave OSU the game."
*Sullinger does tend to make faces and grimace and generally act entitled to calls at whistles. This is an understandable aggravation for opposing fans.
*Ravenel indeed did have an uncalled moving screen on Barlow at 4:38. Bad no-call.
*I missed the second foul against Carroll at 15:36 in the first half. Sullinger had slightly better position than Carroll and the refs call a reach-in. I'd call this a questionable call, since there wasn't a whole lot of contact.
*The difference between Sullinger's fourth foul (live at 1:48:40, replay at 1:49:28) and Carroll's third foul (live at 1:16:00) was questioned. Both Sullinger and Carroll's feet and position were moving on the play; to me, the difference was that Jackson planted his shoulder hard into Sullinger's stomach on his drive, while Sullinger made lighter contact with Carroll at shoulder level. However, I relied too heavily on the replay for Sullinger's fourth foul, which made Jackson's drive seem more out of control than it was. Sullinger's fourth foul is upgraded to probably legit call.
*Delany could help with the refs and the OSU bias. But it’s all about $$$$$$$. is an Illuminati trying to poison us with fluoridated water!
So, after that, I'd say that the bad calls hurt Purdue worse than they did for Ohio State but not hugely, and also that the areas that you thought I was being biased you were generally right. Thanks again for your feedback and, uh, all hail our new Big Ten overlords.
Stuff in the FanPosts is entirely at the discretion of those that post them. They do not represent the views of Hammer & Rails, SBNation, or Purdue University in any way.
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I think your a homer
Let’s just take the most important play of game that you downplayed as complex and poor sullinger got knocked to the ground. First of all sullinger was over the back for a foul and that’s how he got “knocked” down and instead our hottest player gets his 4th foul and is never heard from again. However thanks for the analysis, whatever helps u sleep at night
by clappy the clown on Feb 8, 2012 9:23 PM EST via mobile reply actions
still sore
From witnessing how the 2nd coming was not able to be breathed on sat night. I guess he takes over for sullinger next year when sully gone for favorite for refs
by clappy the clown on Feb 8, 2012 9:34 PM EST via mobile reply actions
That should read "Number of times..."
A very important foul you missed: The moving screen Ravenel put on Barlow that led to Burfod’s fist basket of his 7-0 run. That is a textbook moving screen, and the NCAA has already motioned that it be inserted into their training video for the 2012-2013 season.
Nice article
Although I believe there is an obviously decided home court advantage when it comes to officials. We appreciate your recap. It is good to see things from the eyes of the other team. I will root for OSU in the NCAA tourney, but not before. Boiler up!
You're screen name is correct...
with that said, nice write-up:) I think some of what we perceive as a bias by the refs is compounded by Sullinger’s reactions after a call. He gives off the impression that he’s entitled to move that huge frame however he wants. And he is an excellent player – there’s no doubt that frusterates the hell out of us! Welcome to H&R (the home of homers). We welcome rational counter arguments. We’re even rational ourselves sometimes…
Undue Purversity
Officiating favored Ohio State overall simply based around the fact that they took out our best player in the game in the second half by calling him for a foul when he wasn’t the one to make any contact (should have been on Smith).
I’ve simply accepted the fact that every time LewJack goes for a layup and gets hard fouled it won’t get called and that it seems like whenever we draw contact inside we get no calls while refs call us for touch fouls. That’s whatever, I’ve grown used to it.
http://theboilermaker.blogspot.com/
Thx for the work
I appreciate your work. I appreciate the time you put in and the detail of it. As a Quant, I want data. Talks are empty, but if you come up with cold, hard data then we can have a common ground for discussion. So two big thumbs up to you.
I have said in the other post that I am actually more OK with the officials in the OSU game than the IU game, as I think both sides get a fair share of 50-50 call so I won’t complain too much given it is on the road and I won’t be surprised calls that favor the home team.
However, here’s my criticism of your review. I only see you having two Carroll fouls reviewed. The first one, fine; the second and third, he clearly has his arms up and got called. Even a neutral third-party like Doug Gottlieb has this observation:
Doug Gottlieb @GottliebShow
New rule—Stand straight up vs Sully and foul on U—ComeON refs
Now you claim that Carroll wasn’t set, and that’s why you say it is a legit call.
Sullinger moving in post; blocking foul on Carroll, who is shuffling his feet. Legit call.
But on a similar situation when Sullinger’s feet weren’t set and LewJack was driving, you describe it as
Jackson slams into Sullinger, blocking foul on Sullinger. Questionable call.
To me, that loses the credibility for you as an impartial judge. If you are calling TC’s arms up as a legit foul b/c he “moves his feet”, then LewJack’s “nut shot” is definitely not questionable b/c Sullinger hasn’t fully established his defensive position. In real game, the officials called one against Purdue and one against O$U, but you seem to suggest that both calls should favor O$U. (I am sure a lot of Purdue fans would think both calls should favor Purdue)
So bottom line, while I appreciate you putting in all the hard work, to me, your analysis still has lots of biases that I couldn’t give you a passing grade, even when I’d agree that the officials weren’t the main problem for Purdue’s loss and they’ve done a reasonably “fair” job. (Note, not a “good” job, but “fair”, relatively speaking, b/c not all 50-50 calls go one way). Still, I give you credit for at least providing us with hard data that we can discuss. It’s infinitely better than just crying out loud “Officials suck” w/o any data (or effort to provide evidence) to back up.
Good read
As mentioned several times above, the entitlement Sullinger exhibits and the calls he gets are ridiculous. Carrol may be moving a little, but he’s not playing to earn the charge.
If the classic Sullinger “throw myself into him and expect calls” happened for everyone, then if I’m being guarded closely at the perimeter while moving laterally, why don’t I just throw myself into the defender and act like I’m shooting? I don’t because I’m going to get a charge or a no call with a likely loss of possession. The same applies with Sullinger’s moves in the post. It should be at least a no call if he purposely leans into the defender while the defender is sliding with good position.
by SmallMarketBigPlays on Feb 9, 2012 4:11 PM EST reply actions
Taking charges
Purdue isn’t very good this year at taking charges. I haven’t seen one in awhile.
B/c the other team can score so easily this season that they don't need to drive
The fact that we are last in 3P% defense this year and every team just lights up when they play us.
But...
They do drive! And no one gets in the way.
And when they do drive
We part like Red Sea. This is a team that stops no one and we are Purue (no D). On lucky days when our shots are falling we have a fleeting chance to pull an upset. When our shots aren’t falling we’re basically screwed.
(Last year, except for the VCU game, when our shots aren’t falling we still have a chance; when our shots are falling we blow the other team away)
Thanks!
I always appreciate someone doing this work…pretty impressive.
I don't buy it
The only evidence that I need is the fact that Doug Gottlieb was questioning the officiating when it’s pretty clear that he dislikes Purdue.
Reaction images? I got 'em
Senior All-American Alto Sax
Just curious
Is there ANY commentator/journalist/analyst like Purdue?
Bob Knight is normally complimentary of us.
Oddly enough. He’s just the first that came to mind. Unfortunately, we haven’t been good enough this year to get him here haha.
"Hummel for three..... BULLSEYE!!!"
BIG BB Title ----WORTHLESS!!!!!!
The officiating at all the BIG games is damaging “the BIG Brand” in Basketball. NCAA tournament will be a bad scene when the touch calls aren’t called on “the selected children”. Just watched Minn.lose to Wisc. with WISC playing their usual hockey “boarding below the waiste” which our BIG refs never call. And all of the OSU moving picks!!!!!! IU just fouled out two centers for IL because no one can touch Zeller. When the selected BIG’s play some big East and Big 12 teams there will be the usual WTF moment. My question is why the dirty programs at OSU continue to get the 60 year long history of the “homer OSU calls at home and away”. Delaney has damaged the BIG brand so bad with the sex mess at PSU and now WISC and the Treasel(rhymes with weasel) stink he thinks he needs OSU for a cash cow. Hey come back anytime with your crap.
What does Delaney has to do with what happened at PSU?
Delaney has damaged the BIG brand so bad with the sex mess at PSU
That was some rant
And like most rants, it made no sense.
cool story bro
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Follow @semicorrect
When IU fans are saying how Purdue got hosed....
you know the game wasn’t called fairly. Combined with Gottlieb voicing his opinion.
by BoilerPackerCub on Feb 9, 2012 11:21 PM EST reply actions
Delany and PSU
“Issues” with PSU were noted first in 1993. The addition of PSU to the Big 10 was the first major accomplishment of Delany (22 years as Comish). Any way you cut it, he was the leader of the conference and sold the PSU addition idea to the school Preses. for the vote———-in—-wait for it————1993. So the Big 10 got $ and Paterno and it appears some kids got mistreated. Failure to do the initial due diligence in the addition of PSU and failure to monitor in 1999, 2001,2005 and during the grand jury hearings is just poor leadership. As the conference leader Delany at a minimum owed the conference a “Hey PSU what is all this Sandusky stuff and hey PSU what is this grand jury about”, He was on duty for the almost 20 years while this PSU mess was moving along. Enough about PSU! Delany could help with the refs and the OSU bias. But it’s all about $$$$$$$.
He isn't in charge of the universities' administrations...
He is the commissioner for the athletic conference the schools play in; he has literally zero power or influence over the individual administrations and how they treat issues on their campus. This is some of the most ridiculous stuff I have ever read.
All that's missing are silent black helicopters and time warps
It’s the weekend, Boilerbear70. Give me some of that stuff you got!! I believe the O$U athletic dept. is guilty until proven innocent, but wow. The PSU stuff, WOW.
by SmallMarketBigPlays on Feb 10, 2012 3:23 PM EST up reply actions
YEP!!
Delany has some oversight duties because he admitted he vouched for OSU to the NCAA then he found out the old coach had lied. He said he was hurt and saddened by the OSU issues. I want to watch those rants. Glad you’re entertained.
that might be the dumbest post ever
and was a huge waste of your time. your ‘analysis’ and ‘grading’ of the fouls is still an opinion.
you could of saved yourself a lot of time by simply typing ’I’m an O$U fan and I disagree with you’. Idiot.
Thanks for the feedback!
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Follow @semicorrect
by Semicorrect on Feb 11, 2012 11:49 AM EST up reply actions
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