Got to adapt to how the game is being called

[IDUNK4HEELS]

For anyone WHO HAS PLAYED BALL at a highly competitive level not on a play station 4 know you must adapt and move on during the flow of a game. Yes the game was the most physical contest UNC has been in all season but let's be honest here both teams were playing hard and taking no prisoners. To me Virginia was just wanting the 50/50 balls more and hustle leads to more second chance points. Also at times in looked like the WWE on the court but again Virginia seemed to understand and ADAPTED to how the game was being called. I never like to blame the refs even if at times my blue colored glasses make me get emotional and not see the game clearly. Bottom line is blaming the refs on this loss is a cop out. Can't blame the refs for being beaten on the glass which lead to 2nd chance points. Cannot blame the refs for missing two crucial one and ones in crunch time. Cannot blame the refs for two terrible passes by Brice when he was aggressively being double teamed. Cannot blame the refs when again in crunch time Maye - steps over the line. Cannot blame the refs when Brice gets tangled up with Hicks on a rebound and watches another possession slowly roll out of bounds. I say give Virginia credit for holding on at the end at home and to DEFINITELY ADAPTING to how the game was being called. Screw the nonsense about the refs--just learn and move on to the next game.

 

[dbav]

I agree and it often comes down to coaching. When we played at Louisville, the second half was called like a rugby match. Pitino took advantage of that and we didn't adjust enough. We got outcoached in that game.

Adaptation and adjustments are always important.

 

[TarHeelMark]

I'll agree, and I don't resort to ref blaming for our losses.

However, here is what I don't understand: bigs can beat and bang all over each other in the paint and refs let that go (of course, depends on the crew), but those same refs will blow the whistle when a player drives into the paint and ever-so-slightly whisks by a defender, when it's usually the offensive player initiating the contact in the first place. I don't get it... it's like the ref EXPECTS to see contact, so they call something.

The drive and dish style of play is not normally what the Heels do, so we are usually at a disadvantage when playing against the flailing, head-whippers of the college basketball world. The opposition will get more FT opps than us, especially since our bigs aren't Psycho-T-like in their efforts to initiate contact.

 

[Heelicious]

I'll agree, and I don't resort to ref blaming for our losses.

However, here is what I don't understand: bigs can beat and bang all over each other in the paint and refs let that go (of course, depends on the crew), but those same refs will blow the whistle when a player drives into the paint and ever-so-slightly whisks by a defender, when it's usually the offensive player initiating the contact in the first place. I don't get it... it's like the ref EXPECTS to see contact, so they call something.

The drive and dish style of play is not normally what the Heels do, so we are usually at a disadvantage when playing against the flailing, head-whippers of the college basketball world. The opposition will get more FT opps than us, especially since our bigs aren't Psycho-T-like in their efforts to initiate contact.

I couldn't agree more. Case in point a couple times last night, Pinson and Hicks where whistled on defense, when they were still, or slightly moving backward, but the offensive guy just drove right into them. If that isn't an offensive foul, then its "play on" at worst. Really, how are you supposed to defend that play? Just step out of the way and hope to block the shot from behind?

Then on several rebounds, we have inside good boxout position and somehow we magically float under the backboard and they get an offensive rebound. The "magic" is a push from the UVA guy, and since our guys don't scream and flail, no foul is called. So maddening, that inconsistency

 

[berens007]

I couldn't agree more. Case in point a couple times last night, Pinson and Hicks where whistled on defense, when they were still, or slightly moving backward, but the offensive guy just drove right into them. If that isn't an offensive foul, then its "play on" at worst. Really, how are you supposed to defend that play? Just step out of the way and hope to block the shot from behind?

Then on several rebounds, we have inside good boxout position and somehow we magically float under the backboard and they get an offensive rebound. The "magic" is a push from the UVA guy, and since our guys don't scream and flail, no foul is called. So maddening, that inconsistency

Yep if teams can foul bigs with impunity but touching a driver is a foul, that is not good for us at all, b/c we can't stay in front of anybody and really rely on the inside game.

 

[TarHeaven]

Honest to goodness great posts. 99.9% of the time if you deserve to win you are going to.

 

[coryfly]

Yeah, the officials are not calling against us. They aren't missing all these fouls one way and not the other. The game is just called a certain way now and spreading it out and driving is the best way to take advantage of it. Guards initiating contact is rewarded where bigs are allowed to bang a lot. Even guards and wings at the rack take a lot of contact that isn't called but the drives (and impeding them) are what is now emphasized. Our guys probably don't penetrate enough. Part of that is because they aren't great (Berry and Paige are good but not great, though I think JB will be eventually) at it. Part of it is because we simply don't do it to the same extent other teams do. So if we do it 16 times and get a call 4 times and some other team does it 32 times and gets a call 8 times it seems like we are getting screwed when in fact the officials are being consistent. Those are arbitrary numbers of course but it illustrates why we sometimes feel we are not getting the same calls.

 

[Archer2]

Better spacing would take care of this. We have too many guys inside the FT line to allow for driving lanes. I love Roy but he needs to adjust to the modern game. Most teams spread the floor, which allows more room for penetration and the subsequent fouls. Berry and Paige aren't super quick but both could draw more fouls if isolated against their man. Roy is relying too much on an outdated offensive scheme. It's why teams are shooting so many FT's and why we're fouling so much. It's simply much harder to guard a man in open space than when the lane is congested. Most good teams are spreading the floor and driving to the rim. They either draw the foul(most likely scenario) or if the defense rotates over, kick it out to a wide open shooter.

I love UNC's patented motion offense but with the way refs are calling the game, we need to adjust accordingly. Brice is virtually unstoppable if we get him isolated down low. With Kennedy clogging up the middle, it makes it much harder to get good looks for our best scorer. Neither Marcus or JOel are super quick but both are capable of beating their man if given the space Allen is regularly given. Refs are giving the benefit of the doubt to the offensive player most of the time, even if he initiates contact. Allen exemplifies this.

My advice to Isaiah, quit picking up cheap fouls. If you're beat, let your man go. You're our second best scoring option but you can't score from the bench. You want more minutes? Quit freakin' fouling and if you foul, get your money's worth and don't let the opposing player get the ball up to the rim. That goes for all our players. I've never seen a team pick up so many tentative fouls and allow so many and one situations.

We've become tentative on defense due to the inordinate number of fouls called against us this year. But tentative defensive play leads to being whistled for more fouls, not less. Play hard, play aggressive, and get your money's worth out of every foul you commit. I hate allowing and ones. If you're beaten, either let the opposing player go or foul him hard enough to prevent the ball from getting to the rim. Make him earn the points from the line. That's what most team's do to us. We tend to try not to foul and then make a feeble attempt to knock the ball away at the last second, which is going to result in a foul almost every time.

Bottom line? Play aggressive all the time. Basketball is no longer being called as a finesse game. Like it or not, and I don't, you have to adjust to the way the game is being called. It would behoove Roy to accept this. Just my $.02 worth.

 

[ROYALWITCHEESE]

Agree on everything but the inbounds violation. There are literally by the book violations of this rule 10 times every game.

 

[Archer2]

Agree on everything but the inbounds violation. There are literally by the book violations of this rule 10 times every game.

This is a fact. It happens all the time, it's just very rarely called. I was amazed when they called it even though it was clearly a violation by strict interpretation of the rule. Can't remember the last time I saw it called.

 

[Hark_The_Sound_2010]

Ya I don't get the inbounds violation call either. Either call it every time, or don't call it. Just be consistent. I'm sure if we combed through the rest of the game footage from that game we'd be able to find multiple other instances of someone violating that rule and it wasn't called.

Although I must say, I'd be willing to pay a pretty penny to see some official have the stones to make that call against Duke in Cameron Indoor, especially if it was late in a Duke loss. The reaction from K would be pure gold.