I get a kick out of the touch foul complaint. Last year that’s all I heard was how Haws was getting mugged and to find out it was just touch fouls away from the ball. The rules are no hand checking and no elbows in the post. That’s because people complained. Now they still aren’t happy. Reminds me of people complaining about the commandments. And when some were changed in Christ’s time, they still complained. Its never going to be perfect.
All year it’s been about BYU missing FT and layups or short shots. We have to simply shoot 55% from the field and not worry about other factors.
The refrain all year this year makes sense. The officials were told, and there were some rule changes to encourage them, to make more of the touch fouls called.
The attempt has been to get the game more fluid, (which for watching and playing is supposed to mean more fun), that the culture around the game has changed so much that the rule change is being complained about is sad to me.
Bball and especially college bball is better off without the regular muggings against its stars that Haws and others over the years have increasingly experienced.
I hope the rule and the refs emphasis on it continues for long enough to change the culture. That teams change their coaching and play soon enough to not ruin the game as badly as the constant mugging did over the last few years.
Give me run and gun over defense and mugging any day all day.
Don’t forget that Wiltjer is a transfer from Kentucky, so he is really good. Haven’t you noticed how much the announcers talk about him every game? I mean a SEC level player playing in the wcc? What is the over/under on how many times we will hear that he transferred from KENTUCKY? The wcc is happy he is playing in their conference and for their favorite team, so he deserves some special treatment. While we are on the subject of “touch fouls” you need to know that Wiltjer doesn’t commit any touch fouls either. Most of the players he “touches” are okay with a former Kentucky player touching them… it’s an honor! and the officials are giddy when they get to do one of his games. Every time I watch a game, I comment to others in the room “Do you know that Wiltjer guy is a transfer from Kentucky? can you believe he actually plays in the wcc now?”
Can’t resist this time…
So is it about missing free throws (which I agree with as BYU is in the bottom half of the league) or not? You said it was but then you said BYU has to shoot 55% (which is well above their season average) and “not worry about other factors” (like missing FT’s?) The comment is confusing.
BYU is well down in FT shooting in the NCAA.
No, we have to shoot well so there is no way to introduce the conspiracy stuff 
The best case scenario would be for SMC to beat Pepperdine and BYU win it all. That way both SMC and BYU gets in.
If Gonzaga beats BYU, they will most likely beat SMC, also a way for 2 teams to make the dance.
If SMC loses to PU, then the WCC is a 1 bid league with only the winner getting in.
Story of the game is right there in the box score.
Total fouls
BYU - 22 with Davis, Kaufusi and Austin combining for 12.
GU - 13 with Wiltjer and Sabonis combining for 2.
Free throws
BYU 12-15 for 80%
GU 20-25 for 80%
When you shoot 10 more free throws and make 8 more and win the game by 4 points?
Not too hard to see what was going on in this game.
Sorry but we did foul more. And you convienently leave out 10 missed layups which gave the game away. But, if complaining about some conspiracy helps compensate your emotions for the loss, have at it. I’m a coach. And Rose will practice layups a lot before next year.
Yeah… wait till next year “coach”.
47 points and 2 fouls for the GU bigs.
17 points and 12 fouls for the BYU bigs.
The foul disparity reeks of bias. If you can’t see that, well you’re not a very good coach.
Craig: What about the refs in the Gonzaga-BYU game tonight? I think they gave the game to Sabonis and the Zaga. Sabonis traveled on every driving shot but was never called on it. BYU was called on many more close calls than the Zags as usual. This Gonzaga team looks more like a pro D League team than a college team. The NBA three-step was in vogue for the Zags as usual. Nobody without the letters “Gonzaga” on their chest will beat the Zags in the WCC tournament. If St. Mary’s wins it is a set up. Somewhere in the second half after one of the many pro calls in favor of Gonzaga the BYU Head Coach should have pulled his team off the court and refused to play the game until the refs explained how they called the game how they do in favor of the Zags. It is the usual WCC officials pro Gonzaga games. To me there are nine college teams and one pro team in the WCC-the Zags.
GW: I agree with Jim Hawks. The WCC is a rigged league in favor of Gonzaga.
Right on Jim H. Same old WCC script. CONSPIRACY. The Pros Zags and the refs win again.
We missed 10 easy layups. Are you saying we purposely missed those?
Step back and think. Our bigs had very few shots. So, why would GU have a reason to foul them? On the otherhand, their bigs were in the lane a lot shooting the ball. And we were hacking on every shot. You can’t deny that. It makes perfect sense that the numbers should look like they do. JH work only supports what I wrote.
txcoug - Gonzaga has been to the WCC Finals every year for 19 years. Coincidence? BYU hasn’t won a Conf Tournament (MWC or WCC) for 15 years. Coincidence?
Remember that 15% of Americans polled in 2012 said they wouldn’t vote for a Mormon for POTUS. Then there’s the anti-white, anti-politically conservative, and anti-holier than thou factors. Add it all up and something is “rotten in Denmark,” as Shakespeare once said.
College basketball or football involving BYU is one step above WWE in terms of truly fair athletic contests. I always say BYU needs to overcome 10 points every football and basketball game. Last night, we couldn’t overcome the 10 points. In my extremely un-scientific theory, if the refs were flown in from another planet and called the game without bias, we win by 6.
Well Craig… if they had just made all of their “layups” they would have won easily.
Sounds like something one of my rec. league parents might say… no actually they see the bigger picture so they know there is more to it.
The way the game was officiated disgusted me. The balance wasn’t there, the fairness and consistency wasn’t there. BYU played good enough to win. Emery was lights out, just like so many prognosticators said he needed to be. The defense was good enough but the cheap, ticky tack calls on BYU were too much to overcome. The officials just didn’t make those same calls against Gonzaga. 13 total fouls on the Zags, 22 on BYU. Mark Few screaming bloody murder every time his team was called for a foul and then shaking Rose’ hand after the game with a big smile on his face. He should have been shaking the officials hands.
If people are going to make simpleton claims for losing as missing layups and ignore the foul and free throw disparity as part of the game, then there will be a disconnect with understanding the complete picture and reasons for why a team wins or loses a game. I know for a fact that Gonzaga missed plenty of easy shots in this game as well… so let’s talk about what the real difference factors were.
So 85% will vote for a Mormon. 50 years ago that would be a lot lower. 100 years, 150 years??? That’s a really poor copout. The real question is why can Few get those NBA talent players? While we get Europe and Russia type pro players?
We got nothing from our layups. Fischer shot 25%. Not to mention being out rebounded and didn’t get the the loose balls. KC even mentioned missing the layups.