When people complain about officiating, more often than not they are just reaching for excuses and scapegoats to blame for the shortcomings of their team.
Rarely does an officiating crew have that much impact on a game, to the point that it can change the outcome.
But this time it's different.
I'm talking about the Mid-American Conference semifinals, in which Buffalo fell by three to the eventual champion, and current Sweet 16 member, Ohio.
There were a number of game changing calls, and to be fair there were some calls that went against the Bobcats that definitely shouldn't have. But none amounted to the impact of the bogus technical foul call on Mitchell Watt.
Late in the first half Watt caught a pass on the low block and threw it down for a thunderous two-handed slam, hung on the rim just long enough for Ohio guard Walter Offutt to get out from underneath him, and then let go.
After watching the team all year, it looked like a carbon copy of plays that the Bulls have made all season long, although this one ended in Watt getting T'd up.
Watt's dunk had cut the lead to four, but a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer later, it was a five-point swing and 11 point lead that killed the momentum of the Bulls' run.
Official Bo Boroski gave Head coach Reggie Witherspoon an explanation - Watt had done a chin up on the rim. With all due respect to Boroski, that conclusion is patently false.
Replay after replay show that Watt did not pull himself up on the rim, or hang on it enough to garner a technical.
If you are an official in the MAC, you've obviously seen Watt play. He is after all the conference Player of the Year, he's a senior and he's never been the guy to show someone up - that's just not him.
To make that call in the conference semifinals when both teams are going all out for a shot to play in the NCAA tournament is absolutely ludicrous. As an official you can't interject yourself like that. Quite frankly, it's embarrassing.
That officiating crew was given the assignment because of a late change to crews, and in my opinion having no officials would have probably been an improvement.
Not to take anything away from Ohio, because D.J. Cooper proved why he's one of the nation's best guards and head coach John Groce and the Bobcats handled themselves with nothing but class after the game.
Their success in the NCAA tournament is a welcome sight, it's good for the conference, and I can't help but root for them.
I just wonder what might have been if the playing field was level and Buffalo wasn't playing 8-on-5.
Email: tyler.cady@ubspectrum.com
