^^Tough for me to come down on one side or the other at a meta-level.
Feels like a catch-22: *If* we were the best team in the league would we actually get the benefit of close calls? Even if we’re not the best team, should not each and every call be made objectively no matter what?
I do believe there is some bias – particularly on an individual (ref) level. They’re human, and human nature dictates bias. That said, do I believe that they all try to do their jobs objectively? For the most part, yes (no one will ever convince me though that the immortal Larry Rose didn’t have it in for State).
To the point that ‘we’re just not that good and the calls reflect it’ – I think that is very valid. However, NC State Sh*t doesn’t exist in a vacuum. I think we can all recite numerous games (including two this season) where calls or non-calls directly impacted the result of the contest in the other team’s favor.
So, does that happen to everybody else? Yes and no. How many times has it happened to Duke and *arolina? You can, however point to it happening against other teams across the nation (usually when they’re playing a favored opponent – notably in the ACC we can all probably come up with a horrible call costing each ACC team when they are playing Duke and *arolina in the past). A counter-point to that is ‘well, Duke and *arolina are usually better teams with better players’. That is accurate. However, why does that justify getting the benefit of every close call?
This sounds like a never ending argument.
