Fans flame Arkansas-Alabama officials for multiple phantom fouls, slow pace of play
College basketball officiating is not revered for its excellency, to put it nicely.
And for those watching the top 15 matchup between Alabama and Arkansas, it’s hard not to notice the officials’ impact on the game thus far at Bud Walton Arena. Both Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman and Alabama coach Nate Oats have said something to the officials at some point, but fans from both sides are roasting them online Wednesday night.
The game has gone Alabama’s way so far. The visiting Crimson Tide hold a 2-point lead with just under 5 minutes remaining. The Razorbacks have had to get plenty from their bench, and in total 5 players from either squad has at least 4 fouls, including Noah Clowney, Charles Bediako, Anthony Black. Makhi Mitchell fouled out with over 5 minutes remaining.
And fans are really letting the officials have it as tis one heads down to the wire.
Good to see the officials remembered their Alabama jerseys tonight ? this is just laughable.
— Brian Mott (@mottobots) January 12, 2023
Officials just gave Alabama all the momentum and a 7 point lead. Garbage showing from the officials tonight.
— ???????ℍ??⚡️? (@Forever_A_Hog) January 12, 2023
Alabama getting totally screwed by the officials. What an awful game. No rhythm free throw game
— macmilly (@macmillious1) January 12, 2023
College basketball officials do an awesome job of ruining the game.
— Brandon Evans (@brandon77evans) January 12, 2023
Because of officials college basketball is so hard to watch. #NCAAB #secbasketball
— Wayne Parker (@wparkerins) January 12, 2023
This Alabama-Arkansas game is terrible. Alabama is respectfully 20 points better than these guys and the officials are calling a foul every trip down the floor. Embarrassing look for the SEC on national TV.
— Rett Files (@TheRettFiles) January 12, 2023
@SECOfficiating is a joke in every single sport lol. “best” conference and has the worst officiating crews. it’s comically impressive
— member of the cursed Arkansas athletics fanbase (@lake_mccullough) January 12, 2023
Our players are straight up done with this excuse of an officiating crew.
— Barstool Hogs (@BarstoolUA) January 12, 2023
Arkansas/Alabama is unwatchable and it has nothing to do with the teams. That’s the biggest problem in college basketball
— Bobby Reagan (@BarstoolReags) January 12, 2023
Alabama is getting cheated BAD and I’m not a fan of either team. I’ve never officiating this horribly one sided to keep a shitty team in the game.
— Rom C. Wolf (@romcwolf) January 12, 2023
Arkansas/ Alabama game is unwatchable and it’s not the players. It’s the refs. It’s getting beyond ridiculous.
— Jon (@JonSportsc) January 12, 2023
The refs are ruining this arkansas alabama game. Absolutely ruining it
— Brady ?️! (@brady_bremer) January 12, 2023
Of course it’s the Refs fault!!!! Arkansas fans have to always blame someone or something to validate losing. The SEC as a whole is good this year and the Hogs are just a decent team. PERIOD!!! The officiating has always been bad and it’s not likely to change.
Bama is clearly the better team since Arkansas is without two of its best players but when Black gets elbowed by a Bama player and they both get called for a double technical, it’s apparent the refs were protecting Bama.
Bama is significantly better than Arkansas this year. They could have been up by 15-20 at half if the refs didn’t make it a free throw contest.
Here is a thought: Quit hacking.
Oh really? Free throws: Alabama 25 of 36, Arkansas 15 of 23. How does that favor Arkansas?
I agree that Alabama is better than we are this year. Give us back our two best players who are out injured and I think it’s even. I also don’t think the officiating determined the outcome. Bama won it fair and square. But yes, the officiating was gawd-awful.
@SonoftheSouth slows the game down and prevents any rhythm on offense.
Also, I said could have been up at HALF by 15 0r 20 if it wasn’t a free throw contest.
At HALF: Bama 11-19, Arky 11-18 from the line.
Read before you comment.
The foul discrepancy was even at 23 to 22. Bama just did a better job at getting to the rim and creating shooting fouls so that resulted in more free throws. And 36 to 23 is not all that bad. Imagine if it was something like 43 to 8?!?
They were in the bonus with 13 minutes left in the half. If they were unhappy to be given a bunch of trips to the free throw line, that would be a new one on me. Never have I heard a team complain “we could have run away with it if only the refs wouldn’t have sent us to the free throw line so often.”
You’re mistaken. The double technical was called when Black and Q got tangled up and starting pushing each other and a confrontation started. When Black wouldn’t get out of Dom’s way after a made bucket and Dom was trying to inbound the ball and start the break, Dom pushed him with his elbow to get him out of his way. That was called a delay of game on Bama.
Black and Q didn’t just get tangled up and start pushing each other. It was a dead ball, Black was picking it up and Q walked up, slapped it out of his hand, and then lowered his shoulder to grab it and drove Black backward. That should have been a T on the Bama player alone.
On the second one, pushing someone upside the head with your elbow should be a technical every time, with all the high elbow emphasis these days. The delay call on Bama made absolutely no sense, it had to just be a compromise call to avoid calling the technical.
Bama was better and won it fair and square. But the officiating was still horrible.
I don’t think they were protecting anyone; it was just lazy officiating. Bama is definitely chippy, with all the extracurricular shoving they did.
There are two ways to get a situation like that under control: T up the perpetrator, which is the right thing to do, or lazily T up both players, which requires much less thinking on the officials’ parts. None of them over-exerted their brains last night.
But Bama earned the win.
Arkansas was desperate for the win and playing at home they thought they could out physical and push Bama around. Bama would have none of it so things got chippy between both teams.
I didn’t see Arkansas trying to push anybody around. I saw an Alabama player take two steps and slap the ball out of an Arkansas player’s hand during a dead-ball situation, then drop his shoulder and drive him backwards. I saw an Alabama player put an elbow upside the head or neck of an Arkansas player. I saw an Alabama player shove an Arkansas player’s leg while he was on the floor after a hard drive to the basket. I saw an Alabama player after a made three and a time-out walk toward the Arkansas bench and have to be redirected by his teammates.
I didn’t see Arkansas trying to push anybody around. Maybe that was part of their problem.
“I didn’t see Arkansas trying to push anybody around. Maybe that was part of their problem.”
It’s a problem that’s easily explained… You’re an Arkansas fan.
Bama Time, my point being they got bullied by a more aggressive team. I couldn’t count the times a Bama player with the ball drove to the basket and no Razorback defender squared up in front of them. Bama, on the other hand, made everything difficult for the Hogs on the defensive end, except for a couple of lulls.
I think that’s pretty fair and balanced. And I’ve said more than once here, Bama was the better team and deserved to win.
That’s not the point I’m getting from your post. It sure appears as though you’re saying Bama was dirty.
But sure, you think your take is fair and balanced…
They were chippy (not dirty) four times. I watched the game and that’s a fact. It’s also a fact they were the better team and deserved the W. And it’s also a fact that the officiating was terrible.
I’ll also admit that Musselman acted like a moron in the early season tournament game against San Diego State when he nearly caused a brawl. I just call it like I see it. Like I did when I told another Hog fan above that he was wrong to say the officials were protecting Bama.
If it hurts your feelings that I pointed out Bama’s chippiness, then maybe your bias is the problem, not mine.
It’s never the refs fault. Right, sports fans.
The better team won. and by a margin that fairly reflects its current superiority.
It’s a fair question as to whether the 45 total fouls were all warranted.