Ishy and I Discuss Georgetown/Villanova Call

Ishy:
i don't know dude, it did seem like he was trying to foul him

rigginsorama: i think the georgetown call was one of the most ridiculous calls i've ever seen
"ticky-tack".... but supposedly they were consistent b/c there were 48 fouls called in that game
48!
the game is only 40 minutes long
but even still... that's ridiculous - his arms were in the air
the dude is 75 feet away from the basket with .5 seconds left on the clock

Ishy: yeah, i guess
i didn't notice the clock
but is a foul a foul whether it is the first couple of seconds of the game or the end of the game?

rigginsorama: thing is... i don't think it was a foul any time of the game

Ishy: or whether he is in the defensive or offensive side of the court

rigginsorama: he didn't knock him out of bounds
he didn't put his hands on him
that shouldn't even be a foul if the dude is driving to the basket and he'
s "gently bumped" like that

Ishy: oh, so is foul only a foul if his hands are on him?
blocking foul

rigginsorama: not even

Ishy: all the kid had to do was put pressure on him, not get in his way

rigginsorama: he didn't get in his way
via deadspin "Swallow That Whistle. Georgetown 65-Villanova 63. With fractions of a second to go in a tie game, Hoya Jonathan Wallace took off toward the opposite end of the court. Nova's Corey Stokes wisely tried to crowd Wallace against the sideline, interposing his body but keeping his hands well away from the action. Nonetheless, his distended belly somehow committed a ticky-tack foul that allowed Gtown to escape with a two-point margin. If tummies can foul people, that explains why Tractor Traylor spent so much time on the bench."

Ishy: didyou see his leg?

rigginsorama: i realize it's a call that could go either way - but when start calling fouls like that - it's takes away from the "game" and after all - isn't that why we watch. I think georgetown deep down - can't feel like THEY WON the game. Deep down they have to feel like they were helped out by the officials

Ishy: i'm sure they do, but a foul is a foul
now, it is a questionable foul, but there is a blocking foul
at least he was consistent

rigginsorama: i didn't see blocking - the ref has to take "context" of the play into whether or not he blows the whistle. The whole play start to finish was a scrap with just seconds left to play - from the time the NOVA dude drove the baseline to when they were diving on the ground, to the bump on the sideline - their was contact all around. To blow the whistle on that one is ridiculous

Ishy: thing is, when a ref is calling anything and everything, don't you think that the players should have realized that by the end of the game and been that much more careful? if a ref is giving leniency, then by the end, you know it. it's like a strike zone. if he is calling it tight at the beginning of the game, you want him to be tight at the end. if he is liberal at the beginning, then at the end you want the strike zone to be wide
hmm, no rebuttal, you must have liked that comment

rigginsorama: it's comparing apples to oranges

Ishy: yes and no
you yourself admitted he was consistent
48 fouls in a game
obviously he was calling everything

rigginsorama: I'm suggesting that the whole game was "awful officiating"
not just the one play

Ishy: don't you think the players should take note of that?

rigginsorama: still doesn't make it a "good call" or even acceptable

Ishy: ah, now we're getting somewhere
i'd be interested in seeing whether he made any other blocking calls like that in the game

rigginsorama: it just brings out the fact the refs were horrible. If they don't make that call - they go to overtime - play it out on the court. That one call ruins that possibility, and always brings to light the fact that they weren't just horrible for one play - but for 40 minutes

Ishy: to see if there was a precident

rigginsorama: but I'm not sure how many other calls were ticky-tack... i didn't watch the game

Ishy: yeah, me neither, what in the world is ticky-tack?
who came up with that?
and what does it mean?
rigginsorama: it's like when we used to be playing basketball in your driveway - and you'd always be complaining foul.
those were ticky tack fouls

Ishy: well, i think having a basketball thrown in your face counts as a pretty flagrant foul

rigginsorama: classic!

Feel free to pick a side in the comments. Agree with Ishy or me?

Update: Big East coordinator of officials Art Hyland agrees with Ishy. Ah... screw him, what does he know!?!