This. 100% The Big Ten is responsible for this incompetence.Lots of things happened in this game to give the Illini a loss....but the majority of factors rest on our team and coach.
1. From the start, we ALL saw four defenders collapsing and hacking at Kofi, who kept trying to score instead of getting the ball to the perimeter with speed. Two factors rest here. First, the refs simply have a bias against Kofi because they see him not as a skilled player but as a bully. They are wrong and it shows blatantly. Secondly, Kofi has got to pass out that repeated failure is on the coaches who have not....by all evidence...not sufficiently impressed upon him and supported that action.
2. After the first 10 minutes or so, there was a definite lull to the energy expended for over 25 minutes before we saw what was almost an historic rally. We really missed Melendez tonight, and even more wishful, Hutch.
3. Upon seeing the replay, Frazier was hammered brutally on his layup attempt in the last 4 seconds. There is no excuse for the refs missing such an important play...and being out of position to see it is simply admitting incompetence. Surprised Trent did not suffer a severe injury such as hip displacement....he was really hit hard by Liddell much like Ayo at MSU last year. He should have had two freebies to win the game.
Bottom line is that the B1G needs to overhaul and elevate the training and requirements of their officials. The game is difficult to officiate due to speed and athleticism that very few can comprehend and will only get more difficult. I also know they get training, but for the money the game puts in the schools coffers and the importance of being the premier conference in the nation, it MUST improve training methods. These officials are not volunteers calling a game at walking speed that was being player 100 years ago. They are highly paid and trained, but are still not close to good enough. I am not whining and blaming this loss on them, even though their performance was...as expected...substandard and fraught with blunders. Every effort should be made to make sure every play is seen and properly interpreted....and that was not the case on the last 5 seconds. Do better.
Yep that 3 felt like it killed a big run by us, significantly earlier in the half.OSU simply hit tough shots at the end. Russell hitting a three right in plummers face and EJ hitting a turnaround jumper were two back breaking shots
I would have been ok with either one. When Trent got to the top of the key it opened up for him for a layup. No way they could stop him without fouling. Well we know how that ended.I disagree. We were going to be shorthanded going into overtime. I would rather have just gone for the win.
Really? You haven't noticed Kofi getting hacked and slapped two or three times every time he receives the ball down low? That's not rocket science either. In fact I'd say it's so obvious a grade school dropout could see it.
Most athletes are communication majors, I find it interesting that most of OSU players are not. tOSU Basketball MajorsThe OSU flops were pathetic.
And they got the call each time.
Dig deeper into those numbers. OSU made what, 13 in a row at one point? They maximized their opportunities. We were 11 of 17 and how many front ends did we miss? Those front end misses are the hidden points and missed opportunities for a second shot. That's on the players. The BU and DMW techs added four more shots.Illini had 15 less trips to the stripe! 15!!!
Yes there were some bad calls but they played better than we did. We can’t let a team go on a 19-4 run on our court and have our coach get 2 techs which basically cost us the game. If it motivates us to start playing with a little toughness than so be it.Lots of things happened in this game to give the Illini a loss....but the majority of factors rest on our team and coach.
1. From the start, we ALL saw four defenders collapsing and hacking at Kofi, who kept trying to score instead of getting the ball to the perimeter with speed. Two factors rest here. First, the refs simply have a bias against Kofi because they see him not as a skilled player but as a bully. They are wrong and it shows blatantly. Secondly, Kofi has got to pass out that repeated failure is on the coaches who have not....by all evidence...not sufficiently impressed upon him and supported that action.
2. After the first 10 minutes or so, there was a definite lull to the energy expended for over 25 minutes before we saw what was almost an historic rally. We really missed Melendez tonight, and even more wishful, Hutch.
3. Upon seeing the replay, Frazier was hammered brutally on his layup attempt in the last 4 seconds. There is no excuse for the refs missing such an important play...and being out of position to see it is simply admitting incompetence. Surprised Trent did not suffer a severe injury such as hip displacement....he was really hit hard by Liddell much like Ayo at MSU last year. He should have had two freebies to win the game.
Bottom line is that the B1G needs to overhaul and elevate the training and requirements of their officials. The game is difficult to officiate due to speed and athleticism that very few can comprehend and will only get more difficult. I also know they get training, but for the money the game puts in the schools coffers and the importance of being the premier conference in the nation, it MUST improve training methods. These officials are not volunteers calling a game at walking speed that was being player 100 years ago. They are highly paid and trained, but are still not close to good enough. I am not whining and blaming this loss on them, even though their performance was...as expected...substandard and fraught with blunders. Every effort should be made to make sure every play is seen and properly interpreted....and that was not the case on the last 5 seconds. Do better.
IDK. Looked to me like BU getting the boot lit a fire under this teams ….donkeyThe Big Ten has to get better refs. The calls on Kofi were absolutely horrible. The flop that got coach ejected. And then Trent was fouled on that last play and they swallowed their whistles. But, Underwood did not help us tonight. Great fight by the boys.
Right?! A foul call on Trenta layup and everyone would be calling it the most genius tech in program history.IDK. Looked to me like BU getting the boot lit a fire under this teams ….donkey
Trent is a beautiful baller, and I guarantee if we play them in the Big10 tournament. We woop their back side. Unless the refs have something else to say about it.
This is absolutely right. Of course there are things our guys could do better to win. That's just part of basketball. But what is not part of basketball, or at least shouldn't be, is referees allowing a young man, simply because he's huge, to be literally beaten up every stinking game. And enough already with you guys pretending to be the enlightened voices of reason. Kofi Cockburn is treated poorly by BIG officials. Period. If you can't see that you are blind!!I'm a loving caring dude for basketball specially college sports college football! I do not get how Kofi gets beat down assaulted and then he gets called for like the cheapest fouls on the planet? I know we didn't do our job but there are so many calls within a game that will transfer a Game it just makes me want to say something! But I'm not going to say it! Big Ten y'all suck! Your referees suck didn't hurt your teams in the NCAA tournament plain and simple!
It shows! A lot of the trouble this year seems to be him not being comfortable with what he’s been asked to do. Hope we can calibrate to maximize what he brings to the table and let him play in a natural flow more.