The Big East does it right

They instruct the refs to protect their best team. Pitt has been protected twice this week.



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MWC does the same thing. Protect the best team and player - as long as it's not BYU or a Cougar. Pretty simple really.



We can complain all we want. It's not going to change. The problem isn't that Jimmer isn't going to the FT line often enough - he gets to the line plenty. The problem is he doesn't get to the FT line as often as he should. He draws way more contact and fouls than are being whistled.



The refs don't want to see him shooting 19 FTs again, so they swallow their whistles and then tell the coach to take him out before they T him up for asking them to call fouls when they see them.

Even in the NBA, the top guys shoot maybe 12-13 FT/GAME average. Expecting more than that is silliness and means you are looking for calls. Basketball is a physical game and contact should be allowed or else a foul could be called on about every possession. Basically, I think BYU fans think Jimmer needs to be given even more preferential treatment than he already is and I do not buy it. Stick BYU in the Big East and he probably shoots fewer FTs. The MWC is not a physical league compared to Big East, Big Ten, so I think Jimmer gets what he deserves for the most part. He gets a lot of calls.

That's a nice opinion Lawboy, except you're wrong.

Lawboy wrote:
Even in the NBA, the top guys shoot maybe 12-13 FT/GAME average. Expecting more than that is silliness and means you are looking for calls. Basketball is a physical game and contact should be allowed or else a foul could be called on about every possession. Basically, I think BYU fans think Jimmer needs to be given even more preferential treatment than he already is and I do not buy it. Stick BYU in the Big East and he probably shoots fewer FTs. The MWC is not a physical league compared to Big East, Big Ten, so I think Jimmer gets what he deserves for the most part. He gets a lot of calls.

Show me where Jimmer has gotten ANY preferential treatment in the MWC this year.



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Lawboy wrote:
Even in the NBA, the top guys shoot maybe 12-13 FT/GAME average. Expecting more than that is silliness and means you are looking for calls. Basketball is a physical game and contact should be allowed or else a foul could be called on about every possession. Basically, I think BYU fans think Jimmer needs to be given even more preferential treatment than he already is and I do not buy it. Stick BYU in the Big East and he probably shoots fewer FTs. The MWC is not a physical league compared to Big East, Big Ten, so I think Jimmer gets what he deserves for the most part. He gets a lot of calls.

Normally I respect what you have to say, but this is just silly. Listen to the arguments you are using: other players' averages? fouls shouldn't be called on every possession? equity in foul calling? Jimmer getting all the calls he deserves?



If a player drives to the basket and is hacked by the defense, they should be called for the foul. EVEN IF IT HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION. Jimmer is good at driving in and drawing a foul, possibly even more than other "top players," so he's going to shoot more FT than other people. Now you can argue whether Jimmer is actually getting mauled every time they foul him in a technical sense, and that the refs are calling a looser game overall. Maybe you're right, although I disagree. But it is downright stupid to suggest that there should be some kind of "redistribution of wealth" in foul-calling so that it's even for everybody, regardless as to how much they are fouled.



This isn't about blaming losses or performances on the refs, I agree that is a waste of breath. What's happening is Jimmer IS getting mauled, often, when he drives inside. At some point if this keeps up he is going to get injured, which is exactly what foul calls are meant to prevent. Screw the averages and make the calls that need to be made to get the other team to back off, or you're going to end up liable for a season or possibly career-ending injury.

While I agree Jimmer is not getting the calls he should, this can only help us come tournament time where the play gets even more physical and if you are not used to it you're throwing up airballs and wondering what happened. I'm glad we are not depending so much on Jimmer and that more and different players are stepping up. While I would like the game to be called fairly somehow I don't mind, Jimmer will get his points and we will be a much better team come March.



Go Cougars!



L Hatton

Louisville, KY

I don't completely disagree with Lawboy and I don't really care that Jimmer often gets hammered without getting calls. He might as well learn to play that physical style now, because come NCAA tourney time the refs tend to let things get rough. You can bet your sweet ass that he won't be getting calls if we play a Big East team. And chances are, we will play a couple Big East teams if we go deep.



EDIT: Damn you, KY. You must have submitted your post as I was typing mine. You stole my thunder!