Reflections on the Duke Game: No Whistleblowers Allowed

by TrueCubbie on Mar 4, 2009 8:54 PM EST in FSU Basketball

Photos by Gerry Broome, Nolesports.com

I think those two photos pretty much sum up the way the game went.

After battling their way to a 6 point lead at the half, putting up 40 points on Duke's vaunted defense. The Noles were handed their second loss to Duke this season, 84-81. This was a battle from beginning to end, a game reflective of so many that the Noles have struggled through all year. I was glad that it was close; it was nothing out of the ordinary for us.

NCAA Basketball Stats

That chart pretty much sums it up. Despite having a very similar amount of turnovers at the half, Duke somehow managed to limit their turnovers and get to line. (If the chart isn't working go here.

I don't have a lot to say about the game. It was a disappointing loss on the road, but Duke is an excellent team and the fact that we could keep it anywhere near being a close game is good for this team. Next year, we win that game. On a neutral site, I expect we win that game.

Unfortunately, the second half turned frustrated any basketball fan. Solomon gets called for a cheap foul after a dunk. Hamilton gets a technical. I'm sure there was no call on this play....look at Henderson's elbow:

Gerry Broome, Nolesports.com

I normally don't like to comment on the referees, but they made it difficult for us and the difference in FT attempts for the two teams was more than noticeable. Last night we had 20 FT attempts, we typically average 22. Duke went to the line 31 times. They normally average 24. The interesting point is that FSU opponents typically average only 19 FT attempts per game. Notice a pattern:

Interesting to think about the role of foul shooting with regard to the success of the Noles. Looking at the pattern of whistle blowing for the three referees in this game, it's not at all surprising that Duke got more calls and we were given Technicals. No more on the refs. I'm not trained to be a referee and they are not trained to do what I do, so it's only fair to cautiously comment/asses.

Check out MattD's latest summary on our ACC tournament seed.

Notable numbers from the game:

Douglas had 27 points. Uche had 11 rebounds. Douglas had a career high 7 assists. Uche and Alabi each had a double double. And Henderson had another amazing night for Duke.

Here is the complete stats:

Tweet Comment 10 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Ref Collins

Called 14 fouls on FSU

1 on Duke

Tomahawk Nation: No-Holds-Barred Nole Analysis

by Bud Elliott on Mar 4, 2009 9:29 PM EST reply actions

We know NBA refs are tainted.

I wouldn’t put it past college refs to take some cabbage on the side.

by FSUjab on Mar 4, 2009 10:36 PM EST up reply actions

wow

that’s pretty interesting

by mittens on Mar 5, 2009 12:33 AM EST up reply actions

below is a quote from the great article evenflow linked to

“We’ve had Collins,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the game. “He’s one of the better officials in the country.”

I’ll bet.

by Miaminole on Mar 5, 2009 1:45 PM EST up reply actions

Apparently Hamilton's T came after a Duke 3 pt. shot hit the rim and the shot clock and went in

by basbalstr101 on Mar 4, 2009 9:33 PM EST reply actions

The refs were a joke, but Duke always gets calls for some reason.

by fsunole23 on Mar 4, 2009 11:39 PM EST reply actions

I think it has to do with what Duke has done and how they’ve played for so long. For a while they had been an inside out team constantly attacking the rim and frustrating teams with their defense on the other side. That sort of play leads to fouls. The fact that they’ve won so much and done a lot for the ACC leads to getting calls your way. Coach K has been given a good deal of credit for working officials also.

I don’t think officials do it on purpose but I do think they tend to throw more calls Duke’s way. I don’t know what the solution is. FSUn pointed out that Collins called a huge disparity of fouls in Duke’s favor. However, he’s a Big Televen ref and has only worked two ACC games before (Duke/GTech and FSU/VTech). You wouldn’t think he’d be tainted with the preconceived notion that calls should lean towards Duke but the stats prove otherwise. Collins was also the ref that called the two techs on FSU.

Here’s an article that I grabbed most of those facts on and it questions why Collins was even used…especially this late in the season…especially in a game that means this much to ACC, and NCAA, seeding.

by evenflow58 on Mar 5, 2009 8:15 AM EST reply actions