ACC officials embarrass league, spark (Jamie) ‘Luckie’ comeback

Jamie Luckie

If the ACC really wants to claim the “Best college basketball in the country” title, they have to fix their officiating. I won’t even go into some of the calls during the game (it’s a bad sign when both coaches are pissed off at the referees). The calls were bad enough, but they had to go to the monitor five times??? FIVE TIMES??? WTF! The referees in the ACC have the remote timing equipment, so I’m pretty sure the clock issues are their fault… This has to be fixed, because it’s a huge black eye to our conference that the officiating is always suspect.

— Comment from an ACC Basketball fan watching the NC State @ Virginia Tech game on Sunday

It took everything that Virginia Tech had…and even MORE than they had for them to find a way to halt NC State’s six game winning streak over the Hokies and hand NC State’s Sidney Lowe his first coaching loss in six overtime games.

When an officiating crew is so incompetent that the game has to be stopped a half dozen times to watch replays you know that you have been given the junior varsity officiating team.

NC State controlled the entire game, never trailing until overtime after taking the lead to break and 8-8 tie. But, that kind of control isn’t enough when horrible officiating can cause a mentally fragile team to crumble.

NC State led by 18 points in the second half. But even that wasn’t enough when bad officiating can create points out of thin air. Literally.

Take for example the EIGHT POINTS that Virginia Tech scored in just 35 seconds that were owed exclusively to amazing incompetent officiating.

From 12:40 to 12:05 – in just 35 seconds – Virginia Tech scored EIGHT POINTS that were ALL the direct result of HORRIBLE officiating that was so bad that even the television announcers were discussing it. (We hope to have video for you later).

First, Courtney Fells was incorrectly called for an intentional foul on a fantastic defensive play (that in the cases of different uniforms may not have been called for a foul at all).

At the time of the foul the television announcers said the following:

Capel: “Give Courtney Fells credit. He blocked the shot. Hank just happened to fall awkwardly and his face hit the baskstop under the basket. That has nothing to do with that Courtney Fells did. That’s just the laws of gravity. You’re up, you must come back down and he just ran into the backstop.

Brant: “There is no question about the face – Fells was going after the ball.”

Capel: “He blocked the shot”

Brant: “There is no question about the foul. But it is not intentional.”

On the following inbounds play that gave Tech the ball because of the intentional foul, the receiver of the inbounds pass took — get ready for this — at least SIX STEPS without dribbing the ball and without being called for a traveling violation. I am not using hyperbole. I am not kidding. If you count the shuffling of feet as twp steps instead of one then you get to seven or eight steps.

Again, this is not a joke. How in the hell can a college official MISS SIX-SEVEN-EIGHT steps with NO dribble?! (Again, we hope to have video later).

Of course, the lack of the travling call benefited the Hokies who proceeded to hit a three point basket just seconds later.

THEN…on NC State’s next possession, the Virginia Tech defender reached through the body of Dennis to Horner to get a ‘steal’ that was followed by an immediate three point basket. This play was critiqued twice by the announcers both live and during an instant replay as an obvious foul. One quote was as follows:

“He better be careful because that right there was more than a foul than anything else he has done today.”

A few other quick questions for you:
How does Seth Greenberg get T’d up…then call the ref a ‘fucking asshole’ twice (that we can see)…then call the ref that about three or four more times in the 2nd half…get thrown out of the game?

Why do they bother painting a coaching box on Seth Greenberg’s sideline?

How fitting that Jeff Allen hit the crucial shot when everyone watching the game thought he should have fouled out 15 minutes earlier?

How ironic that former Wolfpack recruit Dorenzo Hudson was granted key charging calls by throwing himself to the floor in wild jirations?

A case can be made that it is unfair to blame these kids and this team for “choking” when their play did not merit being in that position and when a competently officiated game would not have put them in that position. Their good play created the 18 point lead; why is it their fault/responsibility to have to deal with an abnormal number of points for their opponent over which their play had no input?

But, make no mistake about it — NC State had bountiful opportunities to still win this game and failed to capitalize (including Dennis Horner and Javi Gonzalez’s four missed free throws in the final seconds of the game). And, there were definitely a lot of things that could have been done differently from the Wolfpack sideline. The following are a smattering of comments from across the internet that have some value to share here.

Seth knew what he was doing, and it worked to his benefit the entire second half.

Fells goes into a shell after the bullshit intentional call. Naturally, Sid can’t get him out of it.

None of this excuses the fact that Lowe mismanaged the hell out of the end of the game, sticking with Javi after he was obviously tired (and thus extremely loose with the ball) and deciding not to play Tracy Smith after an unstoppable first half offensively.

The season is now over. I’m sure the offseason will be even worse, so get ready

Another one…

This is by far the WORST coaching i have ever seen by a NC State in 25 years……

1. Where was Johnny Thomas after his best game last week????? We would have loved to have his hustle, athleticisim, and rebounding.

2. WHY IN THE WORLD does Sid ALWAYS call a time out at then end of the game on the opposite side of the floor so we have to inbounds the ball into full court pressure.

3. After a great begining for Tracey Smith why was re relegated to the bench the last 10 min of the game ESPECIALLY after Costner fouled out.

4. There is no way a player can feel comfortable when he is snatched out of a game all the time ex. javier player about the entire game and mays played few mins. why???

5. Seth Greenburg shows he wants to win, shows his team how important posessions are, and clearly draws up plays to utilize his teams strenghts. Sid should have taken a feather out of seths hat and blown up when fells was called for a intentional foul (7 point swing because of that call alone)

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08-09 Basketball General Headscratchers

Home Forums ACC officials embarrass league, spark (Jamie) ‘Luckie’ comeback

Viewing 25 posts - 101 through 125 (of 160 total)
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  • #35318
    triadwolf
    Participant

    I have not been much of a Javi supporter, but you can’t pin this one on him. Ben, Brandon & Fells had 11 TO’s between them – those are your team leaders. While he did have too many TO’s, Javi was the only one on the team to have more assists then TO’s. He played as well today as any of PG’s have all season (except maybe FT’s).

    We easily should have won this one on the FT line, but this team is just not mentally tough. Don’t know if its the players or the coach, but you can’t have your team leaders giving the ball up that much. As good as Fells, Costner and McCauly can be, they make way too many bonehead plays and disappear too often.

    #35319
    wolf pack
    Member

    so funny, i texted my friend that I thought this was the worst officiating I have ever seen on both sides of the ball…
    i’m biased but i did think they had an advantage with it…especially the intentional foul call…i mean wow…
    javi did a great job!
    we are getting better
    should a won this one!

    #35320
    BSIE80
    Member

    We can still win the ACCT and get in to the NCAAT.
    That’s how Sid did it in 83. That team pulled it together against stiff competition and got it done.

    Actually, it seems far fetched. But I am a Wolfpacker as well, and I won’t give up on this team until the season is finished…

    #35321
    ryebread
    Participant

    Hmm… I’m seemingly in the minority here, but I didn’t think the officiating lost us the game today. Yes, the 8 point swing due to the BS intention foul was absolute BS. We could have gotten through that but we absolutely collapsed.

    Officiating was a factor, but let’s be honest about this. We were on the road in an ACC game and got a vast majority of the calls (along with a number of cheap bail out calls) right up until Greenburg got the technical. Greenburg worked the refs to his advantage and the advantage that one should probably expect on his home court. We actually got jobbed worse at home against UNC.

    I wish basketball had injury reports like football does. Injuries would have been the only excusable reason not to play Thomas and Degand today. If we didn’t play those kids solely due to rotations, then @#($*@#$!

    I thought we had a meltdown today of HWSNBN proportions. I could see it coming a mile away — long before the 8 point play. IMHO, we lost this game when we came out in the second half and decided to sit on the basketball as opposed to attacking. We almost had VT run out of the gym by pushing the ball down their throats only to then go passive and try to stall for the entire second half. That was a huge tactical mistake that zapped momentum and ALLOWED the officiating to have the impact that it did.

    Another second half mistake was not playing the “big” line up of McCauley, Smith and Costner. That line up had effectively kept VT entirely off of the boards in the first half. It also allowed McCauley to move into the high post (which is his more natural position) which gave us nice passing and Smith room to work inside.

    When Fells went into his shell (which you could see happen), why not pull him and put Fergie in? One or two shots from a spark plug and this game would have been over.

    Once Javi stopped pushing the ball, he became a liability at both ends of the court. Why didn’t we see Mays who is better in the half court and who is a scoring option? Heck, why did we stop pushing the ball (though I’ve already mentioned that)?

    Let’s not discuss the end of game management. Yes, there were too many free throws missed and that’s inexcusable. At the same time, our strategy and substitution patterns were absolutely brutal.

    We lost today on coaching. Yes, coaching built the lead, but it also blew it. The fact that this reminded me so much of a HWSNBN coached game is what frustrated me more than anything.

    I want to see SL win. I’ve been a huge defender. At the same time, games like today make it really, really tough.

    #35322
    dtwncsu
    Member

    True wolfpack fans will continue to watch and attend games. We still have a shot at the NIT, which would not be bad for this team with all the inconsistent play. A NCAA bid is possible with our talent if we can play togather through the acc tournament. Lowe deserves to remain at State with all the injuries and this will be his first year of multiple recruits. Ben, Brandon, and Fells need to step up when the opponent is gaining momentum. Lets face it Lowe will be in Raleigh next year, so lets support him instead of breaking him down.

    #35323
    CStanley
    Member

    Forget about officiating. Today’s game was proof that this team just doesn’t know HOW to win. Luck was on our side against Miami. But sooner or later, you have to win by knowing you’re going to win.

    #35324
    howlie
    Participant

    Helluva cross-body hit/check on McCauley at the end of regulation. Does he also play Nose Guard on the FB team? He’s a helluvan effective hitter.

    #35325

    “How many games have you ever seen decided by free throws after time has expired?”

    Duke/State in the RBC Center last season. Thanks for playing! Bob tell him what he’s won.

    While the clock hadn’t zero, it was close. State will always been on the shit end of the stick. They get no respect from officials and haven’t for as long as I remember. Recently it was Rose. Now Luckie has replaced him.

    #35326
    BSIE80
    Member

    Unfortunately, the refs typically don’t blow the whistle at the end of game. Ben needed to go up quickly with a hook, or send it back out for a jump shot. When he made a move in traffic, he was clobbered, but there were too many bodies involved so it was easy for the refs to no do shit.

    #35327
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    1. Bad officiating- too much of it- these guys should be the ones fired….
    2. Horner choked
    3. Costner/Fells did not get it done in the 2nd half
    4. Javi played good enough
    5. Mays played terrible- Degand must be hurting not to see any playing time
    6. Tracy can’t handle the double team- they didn’t double him until the 2nd half, where he became ineffective and sat on the pine
    7. We haven’t learned to put teams away- we lack confidence- this goes against the team leaders- Fells/Ben/Costner- not Sid
    8. Ben played great- he got mugged the last play of regulation- refs sucked
    9. Greensburg- would not want this tyrant coaching my son or our team- very much a disrespectful person- he should have been thrown out of the game- remember he is teaching these 18-22 year olds how to act as men- the show he puts on and the language is not acceptable in the typical workforce and the refs should have ejected him- can’t believe he got away with this. I wouldn’t have my son play for such a d..k
    10. Refs call on Fells as flagrant was totally wrong. This should be a reviewable call- somehow this needs to be addressed by ACC officials. One of the other officials should have over ruled this call- Easy to see the block.

    Please refrain from calling for Sid’s head- sort of childish. Really flaky to say fire Sid. The guy has a 5 year contract. No good would come from changing coaches now or at the end of this season. Very immature to say this.
    Is he the best coach? No. But, you are talking about canning a true NCSU fan/champion that cares more about this university and program than anyone of us on this blog. Is he the long term answer? Maybe not, but he gets his chance to finish out our committment. Anything less is not an option.

    I believe VT was favored, they are the better team at this point, they were playing at home. This was a winnable game for us, but it didn’t happen. So, we are 2-6. Live with it, don’t watch it, walk your dog, wait for FB, whatever you want to do.

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    Likely the best post i’ve ever read in this forum.
    problem is…. a lot of these guys aren’t interested in FACTUAL information, and would rather claim to have been washing their car, or walking their dogs, or listening to crap on their ipods…. and just show up in here to spew their ignorance for all the world to see. I particularly like it when they purport to know why/or how something happened, when they haven’t even witnessed the very game they’re attempting to breakdown… too rich!

    It’s been noted above, but bears repeating….. Johnny Thomas has had swelling on his surgically repaired knee this week and hasn’t fully practiced since the NCCU game, and Tracy has also been complaining of a sore leg, so it stands to reason that he may have said something to one of the coaches today (but, i’m sure your ipod or your deer poop eating dog told you something else)…. Degand got hurt in “gym class”…. sounds ridiculous… but hardly Sid’s fault.

    Again, don’t let reality ruin your little ipod dreams, or your sunny drives down make-believe blvd….. for, I find it humorous!

    #35328
    turfpack
    Participant

    Cstanley-your’e right nothing builds winning confidence like winning
    AS said earlier I wonder if Sid really likes his older starters,he may be getting tired of this bullshit as well-I know we are.

    #35329
    triadwolf
    Participant

    I had to DVR the game today as my kids had sporting events. I went back and watched after reading through most of the posts here even though I knew the result. All I’ll say is that coaching did not lose this game. We lost for a multitude of reasons, but coaching was way down on the list tonight.

    #35330
    wolfpackbball
    Participant

    Hey Noah, are you missing a few minutes from your walk? Are sections and patches of time missing from your memory? They must be.

    “As to “what coach would want this job? Poor us!!!” — how about…all of them. Well, almost. Roy Williams isn’t coming here. Neither are about 10 others. The rest of them would.”

    Where were you three years ago? On planet Lost in the Disoriented Galaxy? News flash: We’ve been down that road, we swung and missed several times. Sure, we could get an up and comer, I’ll give you that much. Other than that, you’re kidding yourself. But then again, you didn’t personally stake much into this game except a good dog walking and some ipod action.

    #35331
    packalum44
    Participant

    “#2. Noah has no more of a clue as to who would be a good fit coaching this Univ. as I do, who would take it, or if it needs a new one for that matter.”

    I don’t think there is a question of whether we need a new one or not. I’d much rather have most folks on this blog search for a new coach than our current AD.

    #35332
    wufpup76
    Keymaster

    When the game is long …
    and the night,
    the night is yours alone …

    When you’re sure you’ve had enough …
    of this Pack,
    well hang on …

    Don’t let your Wolfpack go …
    everybody cries …
    and every Pack hurts …

    Some-times

    Sometimes every play is wrong,
    now it’s time to sing along …

    When your game is night alone,
    (hold on, hold on)
    If you feel like letting go,
    (hold on)

    When you think you’ve had too much …
    of this Pack,
    well hang on

    Everybody hurts,
    take comfort in your Wolfpack …

    Everybody hurts,
    don’t throw your hand,
    oh no, don’t throw your hand

    If you feel like you’re alone,
    no, no, no, you are not alone

    If you’re on your own …
    in this game,
    the games and nights are long

    When you think you’ve had too much
    of this Pack …
    to hang on

    Well, everybody hurts …
    Some-times

    Everybody cries …

    and everybody hurts …

    Some-times

    And everybody hurts Some-times,

    so hold on, hold on

    Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on (repeat & fade)
    (Everybody hurts, you are not alone)

    #35333
    redwolf86
    Member

    I’ve had to hold my breath for so long, b/c of the negativity i’ve heard sometimes directed towards Coach Lowe….but today was inexcusable. Our players definitely screw up in clutch situations (such as the free throw line) but the game management (i think in the last 10 minutes of this game) was atrocious!

    Hmmmm, would anyone here object if we went after Oliver Purnell as a HC? The more i see of him, the more i like. Though he wouldn’t be my top choice, I really would like a Sean Miller type to come in preferably.

    With that being said, for some strange sick reason i still want to give Sidney one more year with his own recruits just to see how that works….I think with all he has done for us he deserves that much. You know he is frustrated with the results too, just like all of us are, so I want to at least give him a chance to turn it around. Like i said, the only way i will be calling for his head at the end of the year is if we lose to NC Central (we didn’t) or Virginia at home (still possible). He may not be a great coach, but I have to believe as a former player he is teaching our guys fundamentals, and that they just don’t have the toughness….but this is why I also want an open practice

    In the meantime, I am considering sending an e-mail to Fowler or someone else in the Wolfpack Club asking them why when I graduate this year why I should dish out money to them when all I have known is grief the past 4 years…..

    #35334
    jay95
    Participant

    Didn’t get to watch the game due to work, why didn’t Smith play in the 2nd half? He missed no shots in the first half then didn’t take a shot in the 2nd??? I don’t get it. I love the Pack but these guys are driving me crazy! Foulup should start recruiting Sean Miller today, give Sid next year to turn it around but start talking up Miller NOW! I realize we lack top tier ACC talent, but these guys either don’t listen/respect Sid or he simply can not coach. Right now this team and the school’s credibility is circling the drain rapidly, and we can’t put up with this kind of performance from the players OR the coaches or it will take decades to recover any sense of respect.

    Class of 95

    #35335
    mjmitche
    Member

    Transition basketball has been the formula for success by Wake, Duke and UNC. Sid is used to this style from his days in the NBA and says he wants to use it for the Pack. So why does our team still looks fatigued and out of shape when we play a mostly slow tempo game? With the exception of Fells all of our starters look exhausted by the end of the game. I’ve seen Hickson play some this year for the Cavs, he looks twice as athletic as he did last year and is playing less minutes. My point is, we’re blowing the leads we get because our players are out of shape and this lack of conditioning has to be a staff problem.

    I’m not putting all the blame on Sidney, because Monte Towe, Larry Harris and Pete Strickland have a bigger role in practices. Granted it’s Sid’s job to keep his staff in line, I think improvements to the staff would greatly benefit to the Pack. Larry Harris is a recruiting asset. But if he can’t coach fundamentals and keep our big men in shape, what’s the point of recruiting them? Associate coach, Monte Towel is a similar case to Sid, he is a school hero but has no proven track record. At New Orleans he only compiled a 70-78 record during his first 5 years. Pete Strickland has had success everywhere he’s been, kinda hard to say he’s doing a bad job.

    Sid needs to find staff that can specialize in areas our team is weak in or our turnover problems and fatigue will continue. With that said, I think Sid deserves credit for putting our team in positions to win by exploiting match-ups and his defensive adjustments. I also kinda get the sense that our staff has a bigger recruiting agenda than a coaching agenda. Wonder if that could be part of the problems we have seen in our players over the past couple years?

    #35336
    JeremyH
    Participant

    mjmitche, I’m going to channel Noah here, and say that you are pointing out one of a plethora of problems. You can’t blame last year on the players because of personal issues, because it is the coach’s job to deal with that. And now Degand injuring his knee in class? I’m afraid that he might need much more time to improve as a coach than the fans are really willing to give. We have become the NC State Lions, which is just an awful position to be in as a fan. Millen, *cough* Sid, would only admit he is in over his head after it is a done deal. By the way, it was Fowler’s job to hire a high-profile or an up-and-coming coach, to at least keep the recruits that had committed. Truly truly failed at that, which is why we suffered mediocrity for so long. I agree with others that NC State is a sleeping giant full of potential, and don’t think the folks at UNC and Duke don’t realize that.

    By the way, do you guys really think Sean Miller would consider coming here? He is secure at Xavier.

    I believed the “don’t have a point guard” excuse for a long time, but now it is clear that we have talent to compete, but haven’t been taught to compete with talent.

    #35337
    waxhaw
    Member

    Watching ACC basketball when certain ACC referees have the game is like watching professional wrestling. You know what the outcome will be because the fix is in. The only difference is it’s not technically fake.

    #35338
    Wulfpack
    Participant

    I didn’t realize this but after reading the paper this morning I learned we failed to score a field goal the last nine minutes of the basketabll game. That is extraordinary. I mean, you have to really work to do that. That is horrible and is the reason we lost the game. We also had about 8 turnovers down the stretch and we were torched on defense. That’s “coaching”. Not once did Sid call a TO to get in these guys faces like Greenburg did to his team. It worked for Greenburg. He won over his team AND the officials while Sid stood with his hand up his you know what.

    The fact that some are coming out in defense of Sid after this game is crazy. There’s no sugarcoating it, this was his worst day as the head coach of the Wolfpack.

    By the way, Thomas and Fergie did not play due to breaking academic disciplinary rules, for whatever it is worth.

    #35339
    Rochester
    Participant

    The N&O also mentioned that Degand was out due to academic issues. I guess that’s some tough love for Wolfpack Nation, because these players could have made a difference.

    I suspect Smith sitting in the second half had something to do with all the passes that slipped through his hands in the first half. He might not have gotten blamed for the turnovers in the box score, but there were a few balls that he just failed to handle.

    Horner’s misses at the line hurt, but that doesn’t really account for losing an 18-point lead.

    I am still pissed off this morning. I can’t stop watching the team because I’m an addict and the local methadone clinic told me they don’t treat Wolfpackitis.

    #35340
    Rochester
    Participant

    When I get my package from the Wolfpack Club for dues this year I will be responding with my own Giving Levels chart:

    Sub-NIT Finish = Zero donation and an angry letter from a bitter Wolfpack fan

    NIT = Teammate Club ($120 – $299) ($120, who are we kidding, I ain’t paying more than the minimum for the NIT

    NCAA Tournament Berth = Still in the Teammate Club, but upper end of range

    Sweet 16 or Firing Lee Fowler = State Club ($300 – $599)

    ACC Title = Lobo Club ($600 – $1199)

    Final 4 = Pack Circle ($1200 – $1749)

    It’s performance-based giving. If things don’t change at least I’ll save a bit of money each year.

    #35341
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    What I want for Valentine’s Day:

    1. Charlie Cobb as AD.
    2. Anthony Grant as Head Coach.
    3. World Peace.

    In that order.

    Face facts people. Anyone who thought that it was a good idea to allow Lee Fowler to replace Herb Sendek was DEAD WRONG.

    #35342
    Par Shooter
    Member

    I really wonder about the psyche of the guys who get such odd minutes. Guys like Williams and Mays and Ferguson, Smith (hell, pretty much everybody except the “big 3”). Pretty much everyone who is supposed to return could honestly look at this situation and decide to bail. BJD has already starting hinting to a bad offseason and I suspect he knows something.

    Ferguson and Degand have already transferred once so I doubt they’d do it again but they could decide it’s just not worth playing their sr year. All 3 of the freshmen could have serious questions about whether Sid will just waste their abilities. These guys can’t be having much fun and I strongly suspect they are all unhappy with the ways things are going. I think it will be a minor miracle if we don’t see defections and I’m afraid they could be substantial. If more than 1 guy transfers out or quits then you can certainly take that as a very bad sign as to what’s going on behind the scenes. If 2 or more guys leave then I’d have no problem pulling the trigger on the Sid experiment right away.

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