Do you think NCAAB refs rig games?

[SpamburgerHamburger_rivals101482]

Probably not. Wouldn't be totally shocked to hear if a few games a season are.

 

[Wildcat Sheli]

John Higgins has officiated six NCAA tournament games involving UK...He definitely made the difference in the UK-UNC 2017 regionals. The Tar Heels don’t win that game without John’s help. I don’t think it was rigged. It’s just for some reason he has a bias against either Kentucky or Calipari.
He also called UK for a few fouls vs UConn in one of the final four losses when a Huskie player simply flopped sideways to make it look like he was pushed...That shows me a ref that has taken sides during a game and is looking for whatever he can conjure up as a reason to call a foul or other judgement calls. There’s no doubt Higgins is anti-UK. And just a few calls of that nature is huge in games between two teams that are fairly equal in talent and are going to be close. It doesn’t take much to swing it one way or the other.

Those 2 Tournaments wins (2005 & 2010) were FAR closer than they should have been! Some more about that at https://kentucky.forums.rivals.com/threads/is-cal-just-really-unlucky.315565/#post-8637449 I will always wonder if the way our 2010 Sweet 16 vs. Cornell was called had an impact on our next game, the heartbreaker vs. West Virginia.
Here's that blatant missed call vs. UConn in 2011 (that we lost by 1 point) http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Graphics/Officials/John_Higgins.gif

 

[oldsports_]

Without a doubt. Every loss we had during Cal era was due to refs cheating us. We get cheated often.

 

[Seth_C]

Without a doubt. The idea that Tim Donaghy is the only one to ever do it is nonsense.

Basketball is by far, the most corrupt sport and easily controlled game. It’s really the only sport where you can just let the other team get points by blowing your whistle, where you can get the other team’s best players out of the game with two quick fouls.

I can tell you a game of ours where I absolutely believe the refs were focused on a gambling issue. It was the 2014-2015 season, and we were playing Texas. We had a 10 point lead with the ball with two seconds left and the refs called a ridiculous foul call in our backcourt to let us shoot two more free throws to cover the spread.

Correct. Football is next. Baseball is much harder to influence. Sure, balls and strikes, close plays at the plate, but ultimately they play a minor roll. An ump in baseball can’t call back a home run. A ref in basketball can give one team free throws nearly anytime he wants, and can literally wipe away points by calling an offensive foul, which he could if he wanted on nearly any play.

 

[UKUGA]

Yes.

 

[DraftCat]

Watch "Bad Sport" on Netflix - features Arizona State with Hedake Smith and the point shaving scandal of 94.

Has to be more common than you think.

If anyone has watched this after my suggestion let me know your thoughts.

 

[CatCrazyChuk]

Does a bear crap in the woods??

 

[ruppsrunt1]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401364908

this game is obvious PROOF that zebras can dictate the final spread in a game--thus a FIX!!!

Most obvious this season.

rr

 

[ZakkW]

NCAA basketball refs are the most pompous, arrogant, smug, power-mad, preening prancing jerks on the American sports scene

 

[Blueworld_3.0]

Ask yourself if you have ever witnessed what some term a "make up call" in college basketball. It usually happens when one ref makes a obvious bad call and on a ensuing play one of the other two refs will call something on the opposite team to "make up" for the first bad call. It happens nearly every game. Usually the "make up call" will be a moving pick or a travel. Something that could literally be called on every possession.

Now, imagine how easily refs can affect the final score total, spread or even game winner with just a few calls at crucial moments in the game.
Of course it happens! Anyone who thinks it doesn't is just fooling themselves.

 

[MoneyMuntz]

In this current age where anyone can access a Sportsbook and most states have legalized online gambling I absolutely think there are games being rigged. I don’t think you can look at the outcomes and make a determination on which ones bc It is very easy for an official to keep the score below the spread without affecting the outcomes. The ones that know how to rig games effectively would know how to disguise it. I don’t think it’s widespread, but the only thing preventing rogue refs from gambling is the fear of prosecution, and in this age they could relatively easily “bet on themselves” to get rich risk-free.

 

[ArtLaibsGhost_rivals]

Has it ever happened, I’m sure it has. Is it common, I doubt it. I think most officials know who should win most games a psychology takes over some times. Some people just see what they expect to see rather than what might be actually happening. The quarterback on my high school football team was an SEC football official for 20 years , I asked him once if he had ever suspected anyone taking money for calls. He said no.

 

[docholiday51]

Refs are influenced by the networks to keep the games close if they can in order to retain the audience. Some games they can't but in others they do

 

[Seth_C]

Has it ever happened, I’m sure it has. Is it common, I doubt it. I think most officials know who should win most games a psychology takes over some times. Some people just see what they expect to see rather than what might be actually happening. The quarterback on my high school football team was an SEC football official for 20 years , I asked him once if he had ever suspected anyone taking money for calls. He said no.

He probably told you that because he was taking money for calls. Or you asked the wrong question. Does he suspect any refs gamble on their own games? Different question. Different technical action. Same outcome.

 

[bbnkat02]

Exhibit A: Entire body of work from John Higgins in the UK UNC game 2017. Obviously one sided

Exhibit B:
Extremely unusual W/L record for UK when Higgins has called UK games.

Is he somehow biased toward UK? Nobody will convince me he's not.

Date	Matchup	W/L	Score	UK Fouls	Opp Fouls	UK FTA	Opp FTA	UK DQ	Opp DQ	Technicals	Officiating Crew
11/28/1998	Kentucky vs. UCLA	W	66 - 62	21	25	27	23	0	1	None	Carlos Tarrats, Glenn Mayborg and John Higgins
3/17/2005	Kentucky vs. Eastern Kentucky	W	72 - 64	11	20	26	11	0	0	None	John Higgins, Bill Gracey and Winston Stith
3/27/2005	Kentucky vs. Michigan State	L	88 - 94 2 OT	25	20	23	30	1	0	None	Jim Burr, Mark Whitehead and John Higgins
3/25/2010	Kentucky vs. Cornell	W	62 - 45	17	22	26	13	0	1	None	Mike Sanzere, James Breeding and John Higgins
4/2/2011	Kentucky vs. Connecticut	L	55 - 56	12	13	12	11	0	0	None	Les Jones, John Higgins and Mark Whitehead
4/4/2015	Kentucky vs. Wisconsin	L	64 - 71	20	14	10	22	1	0	None	John Higgins, Verne Harris and Doug Sirmons
12/3/2016	UCLA at Kentucky	L	92 - 97	22	24	27	21	0	2	None	Doug Shows, John Higgins and Byron Jarrett
2/28/2017	Vanderbilt at Kentucky	W	73 - 67	14	25	26	16	0	1	UK Coach Calipari for being out of coaching box arguing missed foul (called by John Higgins)	Anthony Jordan, John Higgins and Jamie Luckie
3/26/2017	Kentucky vs. North Carolina	L	73 - 75	19	18	19	26	0	0	None	John Higgins, Keith Kimble and Mike Reed

Good grief. How did we win that 17 Vandy game with Cerberus Crew (Higgins, Jordan, Luckie) Seriously. I see that crew lineup I’m penciling in a loss. That’s a bend over crew.

 

[Cleisthenes]

I hear the refs run their cheating ring out of a pizza parlor basement in New Jersey. That's what people say.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

Refs are influenced by the networks to keep the games close if they can in order to retain the audience. Some games they can't but in others they do

I totally agree with this premise.

Some games are just out of their control.

See UT and KU this year.

 

[ALsays]

Mike Eades is head of officials for s.e.c. conference tells me all I need to know of why we get so many bad calls. What is really bad when you can say u.k. got better calls at the fog the other night then they did at rupp. Someone has said we dont need refs whistle for us to win but it would be nice if they would just give a fair whistle.

 

[mrhotdice]

Absolutely NOT. Sorry but this conspiracy theory is just false. 100% false. It has happened very rarely just like fixing horse races. Crooks are everywhere but 99.9 % of college games are NOT ‘fixed’. As someone said, refs may get caught up in a ‘home’ environment but they don’t walk on the floor with the intent of cheating. Again, not saying it hasn’t happened but it is NOT a frequent occurrence.

Refs are sly. Call it tight on Oscar, 3 fouls in first 10 min. And then call it loose and it would never be caught.

 

[Padsfs07]

If anyone has watched this after my suggestion let me know your thoughts.

I thought Blue Chips could have been much better if they developed Tony and his storyline better, but they had to spend more time on Shaq and Penny and illegal recruiting, which isn't as interesting.