With 27 seconds to go the Nittany Lions found themselves just down by two with the ball and the #7 team in the country leaning on the ropes. Talor Battle surveyed the defense and thought he saw an opening. He tried to split between two defenders. Goran Suton stuck his foot out and tripped him. Battle went down. The ref choked on his whistle. The Spartans picked up the loose ball and the game was essentially over.
Let’s look at the video (click through and scroll to the 2:50 mark; embedded version no longer working):
I find the phrase “stuck his foot out and tripped him” to be problematic. I would describe the play as follows:
- A Penn State player sets a screen for Talor Battle.
- Goran Suton hedges out, arriving in front of Battle in time to plant both feet (in a crouched stance) a split second before Battle arrives.
- Battle tries to slip between the screener and Suton. In the process, he falls down and loses the ball.
- There appears to be some contact between Suton’s leg and Battle, but Suton clearly did not stick his leg out to trip Battle.
- The only call the ref could made would have been blocking, but since Battle was adjusting to the screener as much as he was to Suton, it’s hard to see that call.
Perhaps I’m seeing the play through green-colored lenses (and we won, so I should probably just let it go), but I’d be curious to hear where Penn State fans disagree with the bullets above.
I don’t have a beef with a no-call there. Quite frankly, I wish the zebra crew would’ve let contact like that go all night last night. They didn’t, though. They were horribly inconsistent. Why I’m upset about that no-call is because a few possessions before, MSU was bailed out on a weak ‘hand-check’ 22 feet away from the basket that gave Kalin Lucas two free throws. Talor Battle suffers significantly harder contact and doesn’t get a call.
It’s frustrating, but it’s definitely not the reason we lost. It would’ve helped if we at least attempted to box out and play defense in the first half.
This is two years in a row we’ve had some awful officials who have no business officiating a Big Ten game again.
Good point CrispinandCream. Lucas did get a bailout call. When the refs are that inconsistent it makes it hard for the players and coaches to adjust. Also frustrating for the fans.
It seemed to me like Suton got there, planted himself, and then as Battle charged through the gap, Goran moved his left foot again, pushing it into Battle’s.
I’m a senior at MSU, and I was in the bathroom when the play happened (throwing water on my face due to nerves) and I only watched it after the fact, but the slow-motion replay in the video (the one after Battle says he should have been fouled) shows Suton’s foot clearly picking itself back up and going out sideways into Battle’s after he was planted. I don’t think it was a trip, exactly, but it caused the turnover. And I’m happy we won, but I think if it had been the exact same situation reversed, I would be calling for a foul there too.
Hand check fouls may be “weak,” but they’re still fouls. I just went back and looked at the tape. Battle has his hand on Lucas. Lucas starts to drive. Battle doesn’t pull his hand back, resulting in the foul.
I really think you have to look at each call individually and compare apples to apples.
Anyway, The Wonk was right. Talking about officiating is dull.
I think the most important thing to think about when officiating is seemingly bad, is to ask: based on how well each team was playing, if the officiating had been good, would the outcome be different.
If not, any other complaints are just about the viewing experience of the game.
[...] On a trip Did Suton trip Talor Battle? [...]
“Quite frankly, I wish the zebra crew would’ve let contact like that go all night last night. They didn’t, though. They were horribly inconsistent.”
I thought the same thing during the game. It seemed like ticky-tacky stuff was being called sometimes, but not others. How about Draymond Green ending up in the air on the back of the PSU player (maybe he shouldn’t have lost all that weight?) and nothing. On the replay, I didn’t see how Draymond ends up on top of the guy hoisted in the air, but somebody had to foul someone there, no?
Look for the Penn State Basketball Show on the BTN, then look at a replay of the game that they show that’s taken from a camera on the end line – you might change your opinion. Just as Adam points out, Suton moved his foot, which Battle then stepped on and stumbled.
I’ll try to take a look, UncleLar. I do think it’s a more difficult call than how BSD presented it.