Zack Novak's Night
Novak fouled out on three obvious charges (2, 3, 5), a blocking foul (1), and one that could go either way(4). The ones where Novak was in position but only got a glancing blow should probably be no-calls, actually. This is why John Beilein—John Beilein!—got a technical foul in Iowa City. In other news, I hate college basketball refereeing.
Also Michigan won in OT against Iowa. The hockey kind of sucked up my attention. Tim Hardaway Jr… dude. This is my analysis. Dude.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:35 PM ^
Fuck Ed Hightower.
Seriously, fuck that dude
February 21st, 2011 at 2:41 PM ^
The Big Ten conference obviously disagrees. They must think Ed is good for the "brand."
February 21st, 2011 at 3:04 PM ^
you mean letting teams getting away with fouls down low while calling tick-tacky fouls out in the permetier and having the conference being the slowest paced confernce in the country. Then yes, the Big 10 thinks that having Eddie around is good for the "brand"
Big 10 basketball is almost unwatchable because of low paced game and piss-poor reffing.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:20 PM ^
Otherwise everyone would foul out by half time if they actually ran up and down the floor. Well, not everyone, whichever team Ed Ass Hole Hightower has decided should win the game will have all 5 starters in play.
Side Note: My step-dad, a rabid tOSU fan, hates Ed Hightower, it's actually at the point where he'll turn off the TV if he's reffing. When Michigan fans and tOSU fans can agree on something relating to officials it's quite obvious the guy sucks...
February 21st, 2011 at 6:43 PM ^
My MSU brother hates him as well. Maybe hatrid for Hightower can reach beyond sports, perhaps he can help us see past our petty differences and prevent some future wars and help to all sing kumbaya together.
February 21st, 2011 at 10:55 PM ^
No Groban?
February 21st, 2011 at 4:26 PM ^
Of course (not arguing with you), the Big Ten also thought this was good for the brand:
February 21st, 2011 at 2:49 PM ^
has his coffee.
And then has explosive diarhea all over Big Ten Basketball games. The man and his colleauges have absolutely no business calling games in the Big Ten.
February 21st, 2011 at 5:36 PM ^
Or anywhere, for that matter.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:40 PM ^
I thought this was going to be about Zack's 0-for-8 shooting.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:41 PM ^
February 21st, 2011 at 2:43 PM ^
Best recap ever. Dude
February 21st, 2011 at 2:46 PM ^
When really good character coaches get T'd up it is usually about protecting their players. Coach K got one the other night too. His guy basically got a cheap shot elbow to the head area and had a fould called against him.
At that point these coaches go into what I call "Dad-mode." You can toss them and T them up, but you are going to get an ear full about how it is your job as a ref to make sure this game is played without anyone getting hurt. I think that is why Coach B blew up because at a certain point it becomes less about the outcome and more about these coaches truly caring for the well being of their kids. Novak was taking a beating and it was getting to the point that the refs control of the game was being comprimised.
This is just another reason why I think we have a really great coach for our basketball team.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:50 PM ^
Forgot where I read it, but someone who watched the game behind the M bench said that Novak might have been playing with a concussion. I can't believe Hightower and his henchmen let that go on.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
Wouldn't shock me. In overtime he clanked a wide open three, not missed -- CLANKED without even getting in the cylinder, and then missed an open layup. Something wasn't right with him.
February 21st, 2011 at 3:21 PM ^
That could have been tired legs. Novak played most of the game at the 4 due to Smotrycz's ineffectiveness, and then the game went into overtime.
February 21st, 2011 at 3:24 PM ^
I don't think either Beilein or the trainer would allow Novak to play with concussion symptoms. (I'm not sure a concussed player would have had the presence of mind to take all those charges, anyway.) I think he just had a tough night.
February 21st, 2011 at 8:58 PM ^
Ia Wolv was at the game, I believe, and sat behind the Michigan bench, and stated that he was fairly certain Novak got a concussion, but that it slipped past the coaches. It was in the thread from Saturday night entitled "Thoughts from Carver Hawkeye" or something like that.
EDIT: It's in this thread, and there are a couple comments about it. Anecdotal, obviously, but this is where I believe the genesis of this thought occurred on this board: http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/observations-carver-hawkeye-arena
February 21st, 2011 at 11:15 PM ^
Anything apparent enough to a fan is going to be apparent enough to our team's medical staff. I'm going to assume he did not have a concussion.
February 21st, 2011 at 5:36 PM ^
I am pretty sure that Hightower had a concussion too.
February 21st, 2011 at 7:42 PM ^
February 22nd, 2011 at 3:09 PM ^
you might be confusing concussion symptoms with brain damage in this case.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:46 PM ^
I hate Hightower. When he first started out he used to ref at small NAIA schools, of which one I was a ballboy for as a child. He was a prick, even then, when he was doing games 100 people were at.
Those Novak calls almost caused me to break my TV. They weren't even close.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:51 PM ^
My best friend holds our highschool's record for most charges taken in a game, season and career. I don't think they track it at the conference level or I'm sure he'd have that too.
Got a text from him halfway through the game that Novak was being absolutely hosed by the refs on the blocking calls. He said at least 2 should have been called charges, if not more, but at the very least they should have been no-calls.
College basketball refs are ruining college basketball. Let the players play, and only call a foul IF YOU SEE IT. I'm getting pretty miffed at clean blocks being called fouls because the ref wasn't in position.
If they're going to keep calling fouls at this rate, the NCAA needs to bump the limit up to 6....
end rant
February 21st, 2011 at 2:50 PM ^
Good lord, those were all bad calls. It's like Hightower came in trying to find calls to make on Novak.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:52 PM ^
That man give me a case of the RAGE.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:55 PM ^
Did the refs just think that he was in the restricted area? Or do they think those were regular blocking fouls (even though they weren't)? Is it a different foul if you're in the restricted area? These are nuances of basketball that I don't completely understand.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^
three and five he's too far under the basket, and although ncaa doesnt have the actual court marking, they do sorta have the rule
February 21st, 2011 at 3:01 PM ^
does make a living taking charges that is close to under the basket and draw a lot of charge calls in their favor.
February 21st, 2011 at 3:12 PM ^
I don't know the details of the restricted area, so I have a question:
Isn't the restricted area only valid if you are attempting a shot? Thus, shouldn't it be irrelevant for #3 since Gatens is trying to pass (around Novak, running him over in the process, dear God) instead of shoot?
February 21st, 2011 at 3:16 PM ^
responding to both-
uh, we're not exactly duke
and the shooting vs passing question is above my pay grade. as far as i know the rule is pretty murky in general. i just dont think youre going to get a charge call standing under the basket like that
February 21st, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^
I know we probably won't face a team as poor as Iowa again this season, but boy was it fun to watch our offense when we were playing with an obvious edge in athleticism.
I yell "take it to the HOLE!" at my TV an average of 83 times a game when I watch Michigan hoops. And we did. Morris and Hardaway were killers. When Darius wasn't driving to the hole, he was firing it into the post. Beilein obviously said "fuck the J" in this game and I loved him for it.
February 22nd, 2011 at 3:14 PM ^
"Fuck the J, take it to the hole"...TWSS?
February 21st, 2011 at 3:00 PM ^
I could understand if Novak was called for a block on maybe 1 or 2 of those, given the fast pace of the game. However, they were called consistently against Novak. Use some 50/50 logic on the bang-bang plays. Call half of them blocks, and half charges if they are close. Or, god forbid, swallow the whistle and let the kids play some Big Ten basketball.
February 21st, 2011 at 3:14 PM ^
That last one was BS!
February 21st, 2011 at 3:26 PM ^
On the 5th foul, I ran it in super slow-mo about 10 times to determine if Novak was set or not before the pass was caught. It is pretty close...After the catch, of course, is a full turn, step, shoulder dip.....blocking?!? 2nd worst call of the day.
Worst (non) call was a hoop in the post for Iowa with about 3-5 minutes left in regulation. Full step, hop to jump stop, step. foot slips/2 foot hop to same pivot foot, step, layup. Tie game.
Question. If a player is inside the imaginary circle under the basket, is it a no-call or a block if he is set?
February 21st, 2011 at 4:14 PM ^
I think they do that deal like they do in the NBA where they just tell the player to get up but I may be wrong (and I'm sure if I am someone will find it).
February 21st, 2011 at 3:42 PM ^
I watch a lot of college basketball, which does not make me any kind of expert, but I have no idea what is a charge and what is a block. These calls have to be the most ticky tack you will see. It really is frustrating and can take away from the game at times.
February 21st, 2011 at 3:52 PM ^
#s 3,4,5 were extremely bad calls.
#s 1 and 2 were close, as Novak was still establishing his feet, it seemed. 1 and 2 are a toss up though, 3,4,5 were just really bad calls.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:01 PM ^
lol
When I was in Bloomington in the early 1990s, we used to joke that Bobby Knight had Hightower in his back pocket. I dont know who owns him now. Or if he just makes crappy calls on purpose to fuck with the fans.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:17 PM ^
college basketball is barely above impossible to watch. between the awful officiating and the senseless timeouts every four minutes, these games have no rhythm and no flow to them. also, the last minute of a game is the most disgusting period of any sport
February 21st, 2011 at 4:34 PM ^
You are very right when it comes to the gagillion timeouts they take in college bball. I don't even watch games live anymore because the BTN interrupts the game every two minutes to show their dumb commercials. I tihnk teams each get five TO's, then you add the media TO's to that, and it's just a stilted mess with almost no flow.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:22 PM ^
a Leader or a Legend?
Also, shouldn't his last name be spelled H1Ghtower? Then we could call him H1G. H1G in the B1G.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:35 PM ^
He's no mere pile of crap - he's a legendary mountain of it.
He's been on the shitlist since they were etched in stone.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:42 PM ^
There are few things less interesting than people whining about their team getting hosed by the officials.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:45 PM ^
people commenting on it.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:57 PM ^
between using the refs as an excuse for losing and complaining about them after a win.
February 21st, 2011 at 7:07 PM ^
Why the assumption that complaints about officiating are automatically related to calls going against a team?
It's not terribly hard to be an objective observer and see that Big Ten officiating, Hightower in particular is pretty poor, especially relative to other conferences.
February 22nd, 2011 at 3:18 PM ^
having read many of your posts over the years I can honestly say that I find reading them far less interesting than reading about shitty reffing. Actually, reading your posts is right there with sticking bamboo shoots under my finger nails and listening to fingernails on a chalkboard.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:55 PM ^
There is an imaginary arc around the basket in which you cannot be called for charging. At least two of those fouls (2and 3) almost surely were because Zack was inside of it. He's almost directly under the basket on them. I'd guess that at least one more that was borderline was called because of that, too.
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