Worst piece of officiating in NCAA tournament history?

I think so, and i'm not saying that because i'm an Illinois fan from Illinois, i'm saying that because as a basketball fan in general.... That was some of THE most lob sided officiating i have EVER witnessed. Sean May should have fouled out in the first half, honestly, as much as he threw his body around and i saw at least 5 cheap shots to an illinois players back while posting up. Every loose ball call seemed to go towards the North Carolina team...what's worse is even our governor made a comment during half time on the radio "maybe if we had a few different officials out there, it would be a little different." That's sad when the governor points that shit out... I'm not saying North Carolina didn't play a good game, but Illinois played a better game and they were robbed, those cocky jerks didn't deserve that game...not one bit.. But with the players illinois has returning next year, we'll prove we are really the number one team. Tonight....we got robbed.. Hat's off to NC though, they played a tough game.

Agreed...the Illini shot 6 free throws to UNC's 19. If that's not lopsided I don't know what is. Anytime an Illini player touched Sean May it was a foul. But oh well...it's sports for ya. UNC played very well though.

Didn't get to watch the game, but I know how frustrating it can be when your team is so close and they keep getting fouls. Sounds like this game was won at the free throw line.

DAMN GOOD GAME. As bad as the officiating was I do have to take my hat off to Sean May. He was a bastard down low and we couldnt defend him. Ya we got skrewed with Sean May, but we were also setting moving picks here and there so. The refs deffinately messed up big.

If it would have been the opposite way UNC fans would be complaining. The games over, illinois lost. Get over it.

Being a ref is a hard job. I did it for baseball and people bitch about everything and honestly its the most annoying thing in the world. Think of the hundereds of calls they make during the game.

Of everyone on the court the people that get the least respect are the refs.

If it would have been the opposite way UNC fans would be complaining. The games over, illinois lost. Get over it.

Being a ref is a hard job. I did it for baseball and people bitch about everything and honestly its the most annoying thing in the world. Think of the hundereds of calls they make during the game.

Of everyone on the court the people that get the least respect are the refs.

I can see where you're coming from but I was watching the game with some die hard UNC fans and even they thought the officiating was very sub-par. But like I said it's part of sports.

Of everyone on the court the people that get the least respect are the refs.

Agreed. Didn't see the game but i've watched other games where it seemed that the refs were blind or something. Small things suddenly become huge when your down and your looking for someone to blame. I've done it.

I'm not saying they're perfect but its a hard job. You have to try to keep your emotions out of it and it ain't easy.

Yeah the officiating was pretty bad, but UNC was simply playing better. We caught up, but they were just dominating the entire game. Ah well, in a week none of this will even matter.

Yeah the officiating was pretty bad, but UNC was simply playing better. We caught up, but they were just dominating the entire game. Ah well, in a week none of this will even matter.

True, UNC played very well...I think they shot over 50% from the field. Any team that can shoot like that all night deserves to win.

True, UNC played very well...I think they shot over 50% from the field. Any team that can shoot like that all night deserves to win.

Thats true, but look where they shot that 50% at. Mostly down low. Higher percentage shit, thats why say Shaq has such good FG%. However if he were to shoot threes we all know his percentage would go way down.

Thats true, but look where they shot that 50% at. Mostly down low. Higher percentage shit, thats why say Shaq has such good FG%. However if he were to shoot threes we all know his percentage would go way down.


exactly, look at his FT %


edit: Also didnt illinois set a championship record for 3 pointers taken?

If it would have been the opposite way UNC fans would be complaining. The games over, illinois lost. Get over it.

Being a ref is a hard job. I did it for baseball and people bitch about everything and honestly its the most annoying thing in the world. Think of the hundereds of calls they make during the game.

Of everyone on the court the people that get the least respect are the refs.

Myself, I agree with the problems in officiating, and as my cousin said, it's NOT because I'm an Illinois fan. I can watch a game, and if a foul is committed, I generally go with it. But when I'm watching a replay of one of the Illinois players under the hope getting hacked by 4 UNC players and not a single whistle is blown, there's a problem. Pardon me for being a fan and wanting to see fair calls made. I was more angry that Illinois wasn't doing what they could to score points for being the reason they were down than the officiating being the problem.

For arguements sake ill pretend i didnt see all the illegal screens being set in the final minutes of the game. But i guess only UNC fans seen those.

Illegal screens were being set by both teams the hole game...

does anyone know the name of the song they played right after the game? It was when they were showing the highlights from the tourny. I thought they said luther vandross but i cant remember.

It was One Shining Moment...

Anyway, i was pretty much over it at the end of the game, and i know we'll win it next year,we have a lot of good players coming back. All we're losing is Head, and Powell. And i never said UNC didn't play a good game, i just wish the officials would have been a little better and called it both ways... but we'll be good next year so...oh well.

You want to talk about the worst piece of officiating? Let's open it to other sports. My team scores a goal to beat Manchester United (at their ground) in the last minute of the game. Only the referee said the ball didn't go past the line. No goal. Game ends 0-0.

You judge for yourself:

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2005/01/05/wbunited_narrowweb__200x260.jpg

I was watching the game in a pub, never seen so many angry footy fans :disappoin

I can imagine the soccer riots that took place after that...

:lol2:

That's even worse than the Hand of God play.

When i saw the title of the thread, i thought you were talking about the non-call when Patrick Sparks got fouled and hit the three pointer against Michigan State. Too bad UNC won. I would have liked to see Illinois win that game.

37 wins and 2 losses in a season is nothing to be ashamed of though, they had a hell of a ride.

When i saw the title of the thread, i thought you were talking about the non-call when Patrick Sparks got fouled and hit the three pointer against Michigan State. Too bad UNC won. I would have liked to see Illinois win that game.

I think most of the contact was because of sparx not the defender. Now if the defender was jumping at him and that happend it would be different.

exactly, look at his FT %


edit: Also didnt illinois set a championship record for 3 pointers taken?
They set a school record for most 3's made.



Good game. Don't blame the ref's for the loss.

They set a school record for most 3's made.



Good game. Don't blame the ref's for the loss.
I don't think we're really blaming the refs for the loss. I know I'm not. I know Illinois could have taken less 3 point shots and tried harder for dribble penetration. I just think that there were some questionable calls (or a lack of calls) in the game. Whether it would have swayed the decision, I can't say for sure.

:lol2:

That's even worse than the Hand of God play.
What play now?

And I agree with the officiating.. it wasn't the worst I've seen, but for an NCAA championship game, a game that people pay thousands of dollars to see, I think it could have been a lot better officiating.

What play now?

Google is your friend ;)

Shit, I'm from Missouri. I didn't give a shit who won, it was just something on in the garage when we were working on the car and I noticed the same thing about the refs. That's unbias and I still noticed it.

37 wins and 2 losses in a season is nothing to be ashamed of though, they had a hell of a ride.
very much so true.

In tourney play, UNC played the best. During the season Illi played the best. Just because UNC won the tourney doesnt mean they had the best season. I don't care tho. I was going for UNC anyway. I felt if i went for the underdog, it would be a more enjoyable game.

Anybody gonna watch the womens championship?

NO!! The WORST officiated NCAA game in HISTORY was THIS ONE!! (http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/mayhem/history/yearbyyear/1992) The 1992 Semi final game between Duke and Indiana. IU was CLEARLY the better team...they had the lead and the refs were determined that Knight would NOT win against Duke.

This year? WHile I HATED seeing UNC win....they beat the Illinois team down the stretch. UI just couldn't buy a basket in the last minutes when it counted.

Google is your friend ;)
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hand+of+god+play

Not too much information really.. from what I can gather, the player used the back of his hand to score a goal? I don't understand whats going, I know a handball is a penalty, but was their controversay over the call? Was it just an incredible move? Not sure whats going on, and google is holding out on me here.

A handball by any player other than a goalkeeper is a foul, but not necessarily a penalty. It's a penalty if it's committed by a defending player in the 18 yard box (just in front of the goal).

Ok. Diego Maradona, arguably the greatest football (soccer) player of all time, was playing for Argentina against England in the quarter-final of the 1986 world cup in Mexico.

With the score at 0-0 and Argentina on the attack, the ball was kicked up in the air and seemingly about to be caught by England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Maradona jumped up to challenge the England 'keeper, and (illegally) hit the ball with his hand into the net. He flicked his head at the same time, as if he'd scored with his head, which fooled the referee into thinking it was a legitimate goal.

http://img219.exs.cx/img219/9982/handofgod6em.jpg

The England players protested, the commentators went nuts, but the goal was allowed to stand. Minutes later Maradona again scored, this time legitimately, and it was probably the greatest ever goal scored in a world cup.

England later scored a goal to pull the score back to 2-1 but that is how the game finished. Argentina went on to win the world cup, and England obviously felt robbed.

After the game Maradona added insult to injury by saying it was the hand of God that scored the first goal. There you have it, the Hand of God.

Thank you Jay.

Wait, I still don't understand...

















:p thanks for the explanation

No worries :)

That's even worse than the Hand of God play.
Most here have trouble with REAL football. :D
Most probably don't see a problem with THIS: http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2005/01/05/wbunited_narrowweb__200x260.jpg:D

See, we didn't understand that just like you probably wouldn't understand what the Music City Miracle was, but thanks for the explanation Jay.. :wink:

Most here have trouble with REAL football. :D
Most probably don't see a problem with THIS: http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2005/01/05/wbunited_narrowweb__200x260.jpg:D

That one is just pathetic...One of the assistant refs (I fogot the name...it's been a long time since I played soccer) should've been in position to see that that is clearly a goal!!! BTW what teams were playing???

music city miracle was crazy.

i dont watch soccer at all and even i can see whats wrong in that picture.

I played soccer in college. It is one sport where the refs can ruin EVERYTHING in short order. If they let things get out of hand players get hurt. In our league our team had a bench clearing brawl EVERY game my freshman year. EVERY game. The refs COULD have prevented that. We DID beat U of Kentucky TWICE that season. :D I hate UK! :D

That one is just pathetic...One of the assistant refs (I fogot the name...it's been a long time since I played soccer) should've been in position to see that that is clearly a goal!!! BTW what teams were playing???
The assistant ref is called a linesman ;)

Spurs (the team i support) were playing Manchester United. We hadn't beaten them at their place in a long, long time... That incident happened in the dying minutes of the game. A minute or so later, Man U had a free-kick in a great position and nearly scored. That was the first time i've ever seen my friend (who's a Man U fan) pray that his team doesn't score a goal. It would have just been too embarassing to win like that.


See, we didn't understand that just like you probably wouldn't understand what the Music City Miracle was, but thanks for the explanation Jay.. ;)
I looked it up. Winning return touchdown with seconds to go. Sounds cool. American football rocks :thumbsup:








but not as much as real football :p

For arguements sake ill pretend i didnt see all the illegal screens being set in the final minutes of the game. But i guess only UNC fans seen those.

"But i guess only UNC fans seen those."

Wow!.........you must be an English major right?

"But i guess only UNC fans seen those."

Wow!.........you must be an English major right?
Start shit somewhere else. Got it? Good.

He'll have to now that he's banned. It seems he was more into picking fights on the internet than talking about cars :rolleyes:

but not as much as real football :p
I am an American and I still concur. American football is boring in comparison.