Defense foul calls I am having a huge issue with

[onebadrubi]

As college basketball is fully underway we are seeing some of the new rules impacting games.  Tonight I saw a call im seeing made more and more and want to get some other opinions on. Tonight late in the LSU game, LsU is up 1 couple seconds left and ball handler goes wide right side of the lane going to the basket, lsu player does a good job of having quick feet and gets his full body in front of the guy cutting his path off BEFORE a the offensive player gets there.  The offensive player drops a shoulder and is given a foul (2 shots because of bonus) and then Marquette wins the game because the offensive player makes his foul shots. 

I'm seeing this called often this year when the defensive player is well in position.  Am I just wrong here or is this all apart of the offensive initiative going on around the college basketball world?

[-Blu]

As college basketball is fully underway we are seeing some of the new rules impacting games.  Tonight I saw a call im seeing made more and more and want to get some other opinions on. Tonight late in the LSU game, LsU is up 1 couple seconds left and ball handler goes wide right side of the lane going to the basket, lsu player does a good job of having quick feet and gets his full body in front of the guy cutting his path off BEFORE a the offensive player gets there.  The offensive player drops a shoulder and is given a foul (2 shots because of bonus) and then Marquette wins the game because the offensive player makes his foul shots. 

I'm seeing this called often this year when the defensive player is well in position.  Am I just wrong here or is this all apart of the offensive initiative going on around the college basketball world?

It's not just you, I think the NCAA is determined to ruin college basketball.  What's going on right now is they made these new rules to give the offensive players freedom of movement thinking it would increase scoring, which would increase excitement, and that would draw more viewers.  But, what's actually happening is, your having games with a ton of fouls with inconsistent calls, and this is disrupting the flow of the game, and turning a lot of games into free throw shooting contests.

Good news is they've done this for the past couple of years, and they usually start laying off the whistles by the end of November, I'm hoping the same thing happens this year, because some of these games have just been hard to watch.  I don't know why they are even messing with the game like that, only college coach I've ever heard complain about the game being to physical was Calapari, and of course he thinks it's too physical because 95% of his players are always freshman, it works out better for him if all the elite athletes he recruits can just get to the rim whenever they want, and no older and more physical players can stop them.

[Dr. Starcs]

Refs suck.

[hogsanity]

As college basketball is fully underway we are seeing some of the new rules impacting games.  Tonight I saw a call im seeing made more and more and want to get some other opinions on. Tonight late in the LSU game, LsU is up 1 couple seconds left and ball handler goes wide right side of the lane going to the basket, lsu player does a good job of having quick feet and gets his full body in front of the guy cutting his path off BEFORE a the offensive player gets there.  The offensive player drops a shoulder and is given a foul (2 shots because of bonus) and then Marquette wins the game because the offensive player makes his foul shots. 

I'm seeing this called often this year when the defensive player is well in position.  Am I just wrong here or is this all apart of the offensive initiative going on around the college basketball world?

This is how basketball has been for years, when in doubt give the benefit to the offense. Players have been bulling their way to the basket like that, and unless the defender was there long enough to grow grass, he gets the foul. As another poster pointed out, it was done to help the offense.

[onebadrubi]

This is how basketball has been for years, when in doubt give the benefit to the offense. Players have been bulling their way to the basket like that, and unless the defender was there long enough to grow grass, he gets the foul. As another poster pointed out, it was done to help the offense.

I agree it's been slightly this was for a few years, but now a defender with quick feet is now taken completely out of the game at this moment.  The lsu example is the best I can use for an example.  The LSU guy knew which hand the Marquette was going to use and beat him to that side and the ref bailed out a less talented slower ball handler.  This is a disaster for the Hogs if it is handled this way the full season. 

[jry04]

Refs have been awful so far this year. The game is tough to watch. I think Akron was the better team, but many of the calls in that game contributed to our loss. There were quite a few bad calls both ways, and there were a lot of fouls called in general. It hurts the flow of the game, and prevents us from getting any momentum when the play is constantly being stopped.


I was watching Nova v Akron the other day. Nove had a little PG that drove into the lane, lowered his shoulder, and jumped into that chubby center for Akron. There was probably a 100lb weight difference between the two players. The Akron center was literally straight up and down and never moved, but they called a shooting foul on him because the PG just bounced off him when he launched into him. That type of foul call is what annoys me the most. That and the pump fake, jump into the defender from three to try and get a bail out call.

The NCAA keeps posting statistics about how scoring has gone up due to the shorter shot clock, but in reality fouls have gone up due to more emphasis on other parts of the game. Shooting more FTs to get more scoring doesn't mean the game is improving.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Refs have been awful so far this year. The game is tough to watch. I think Akron was the better team, but many of the calls in that game contributed to our loss. There were quite a few bad calls both ways, and there were a lot of fouls called in general. It hurts the flow of the game, and prevents us from getting any momentum when the play is constantly being stopped.

Hope they back off the whistles because there is nothing entertaining about watching a free throw shooting contest. Don't know if it's the refs or the rules but something needs to change.

[hogsanity]

I agree it's been slightly this was for a few years, but now a defender with quick feet is now taken completely out of the game at this moment.  The lsu example is the best I can use for an example.  The LSU guy knew which hand the Marquette was going to use and beat him to that side and the ref bailed out a less talented slower ball handler.  This is a disaster for the Hogs if it is handled this way the full season. 

It is why I have watched less and less college bball over the last few years. There is no flow because seemingly it is all drive and hope to get fouled or jack up 3's. No mid range game at all. I am watching a little more this year because I am creating my own interest in some games, not because the basketball is good.

[Dr. Starcs]

The problem is nobody wants to watch a free throw contest, so by midseason the refs end up letting everything go and everyone has trouble scoring. (Broad brush, but basically the idea).

I wish the game would become more free flowing and less physical.

[lefty08]

They are trying to take the defense out of every sport

[Inhogswetrust]

Since the very best players only play one year now in college they might as well change all the rules to mirror the NBA rules. Perhaps they will allow "continuation" and "walking a mile before shooting" and shorten the shot clock to 24 seconds in college soon. I hope not.

[hawginbigd1]

As college basketball is fully underway we are seeing some of the new rules impacting games.  Tonight I saw a call im seeing made more and more and want to get some other opinions on. Tonight late in the LSU game, LsU is up 1 couple seconds left and ball handler goes wide right side of the lane going to the basket, lsu player does a good job of having quick feet and gets his full body in front of the guy cutting his path off BEFORE a the offensive player gets there.  The offensive player drops a shoulder and is given a foul (2 shots because of bonus) and then Marquette wins the game because the offensive player makes his foul shots. 

I'm seeing this called often this year when the defensive player is well in position.  Am I just wrong here or is this all apart of the offensive initiative going on around the college basketball world?

I agree with your main point here, but I watched it, and don't agree with your painting of the picture, i thought the defender did the best he could, but he clearly had not established position to stop his drive. Where I agree with you is that it shouldn't have been a foul IMO, the defender did nothing to really affect the player's path, there was contact but not enough for a foul, beside the player made the layup anyway but it didnt count. Like others i hope they swallow the whistle later in the year.

I think the most stupid change is the widening of the no-charge zone to decrease collisions, just going to make the offensive player less afraid to charge into an opponent in the lane IMO.

[HawgAdvocate]

More offensive freedom ---> more fouls called + more timeouts ---> longer games ---> more advertising value ---> mo money, mo money, mo money

[Danny J]

More offensive freedom ---> more fouls called + more timeouts ---> longer games ---> more advertising value ---> mo money, mo money, mo money

That is true but they are quickly over regulating the game and it is becoming un-watchable for many fans who only take a passing interest in the game as it is. What we are seeing more and more of is the ball comes into the front court...whistle blows for whatever reason...next team get ball....into the front court...whistle blows....repeat. I saw the graphic during the game today showing how points have gone up about 9 per game but so has the foul calls and the FT attempts. I am seeing fouls called that have no effect on the play or a player in any way. I would like to see the scoring up as well but to come within the flow of the game and not at the FT line. I think they helped achieve this by going from 35 to 30 on the shot clock.


Just my $.02

[farfromgroovins]

Back in the day (don't ask me how many days ago that was), if the offensive player initiated the contact with a defensive player between them and the basket, even if their feet weren't set, don't go looking at the ref for a foul. Most of the refs would keep their whistle quiet. To me, it's the definition of "position" of the defensive player. If you lower the shoulder or hit a moving defender square in the chest, it may not be a charge, but it definitely doesn't mean a blocking foul should be called either.

[nwahogfan1]

I think Refs are inconsistent and suck at times because they are confused on how to call all the new rules enacted each year.  I know Fans are very confused what is a offensive foul and what is a defensive foul when a very aggressive dribbler is doing a lot of driving to the HOLE. 

Many of the calls varies from game to game, conference to conference and sometimes even inside the same game.  Seems to me anytime a dribbler drops his shoulder to drive through the defensive man it would be a offensive foul but sometimes it is and sometimes it is not.  Go figure. 

They are trying to stop the arm bar so what I am seeing now is player having to put their unprotected body into harms way to stop a dribbler which causes more face collisions and blood. 

[HogWild7886]

Playing defense is a foul

[MountieDawg]

Defense will have to be played with the feet and not the hands.... That is how the game was designed orignally.  When the say they will emphasize things you have to adjust.  This is no longer street ball and playing with your hands will not be allowed. Take advantage of that when on offense...

[colavito]

I agree.  The new rules are killing college BB.  If they want an NBA game why not implement the 24 second shot clock?  You can't put your hands on when you're playing defense.  That fifth foul call on Bell I don't think he even touched the guy. 

[Atlhogfan1]

I agree.  The new rules are killing college BB.  If they want an NBA game why not implement the 24 second shot clock?  You can't put your hands on when you're playing defense.  That fifth foul call on Bell I don't think he even touched the guy.

It isn't good for how we want to play.  Kills flow plus the type of fouls called.