The statement in color below was made by one of the analysts in the UConn vs Kentucky game last week.  I think it was Doris Burke, but I'm not certain.  I'm not putting it in quotes because I wasn't recording, so I can't check that either, but I'm pretty sure these are her exact words.  

That's a good no-call.  There are so few stars in the women's game, you don't want to take them off the court. 

Stephanie Dolson of UConn had just backed off a Kentucky player with her arms up, looking as if she had fouled her.  This reflects what I have observed and been annoyed by for . . . well, since I have been a WCBB fan . . . for years.  If you are a "star",  you can get away with fouls, travels, pretty much anything as long as it's not too obvious and you are putting on a show for the fans.  Someone mentioned in a earlier thread that higher ranked teams get preferential treatment too.  I agree with that.  Obviously, if my team is being treated unfairly, I'm going to see and remember the bad calls, but I see this happening when my team is benefiting as well as when I have no favored team. 

Since that game, I have heard at least two analysts state that Brittany Griner has fouled out of a game only once in her college career and that was as a freshman.  She averages more than five blocks per game.  Makes me wonder how many of those blocks were really fouls.  If a "lesser" player gets "all ball" sometimes the whistle is blown even before there is contact. 

The big name teams get more TV time and get discussed more (even in the middle of unrelated games, sometimes to my annoyance) so I understand that there is an attempt to build the fan base.  I'm not alleging some offical conspiracy here, but does it seem to anyone else that official may think they are doing their part to help the women's game along?   Any thoughts? Or has this already been sorted out on the board before I found it?

I started to write about this several times since I heard the statement but backed off, unable to decide how irate I wanted to be.  Finally, I decided what the hey, we're all friends. 

I could be wrong, but in last night's games, it looked like a more generic "letting them play" than trying to protect stars, and I think some players and teams are better able to take advantage of that than others. Also, I think it'd be kinda hard for officials to keep track of who they're supposed to be protecting, but I could be totally wrong about that.

I thought of you when I read this . . .

http://www.theday.com/article/...039933/-1/SPORT

Protect the shooters and let Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins entertain. They've figured it out in the NBA and in the men's college game. The women's game needs to take better notes.

I am so glad you noticed that, too!! It annoyed me, as well!!

Griner gets fouled most everytime she gets the ball....it looks to me like they are trying to negate her ability by allowing the opposition so much contact.

When the UK Men were playing this year the announcers stated at least once a game that it is remarkable how few fouls Kentucky commits despite leading the nation in blocked shots.

The "remarkable" part about it is how few of the fouls Kentucky commits are actually called by the refs.

Versus75 wrote: When the UK Men were playing this year the announcers stated at least once a game that it is remarkable how few fouls Kentucky commits despite leading the nation in blocked shots.

The "remarkable" part about it is how few of the fouls Kentucky commits are actually called by the refs.

^^^^^agree^^^^^

Amen !!!!! 

The more the college game becomes like the pros, the less it looks like basketball. The pro game stinks.

Versus75 wrote:
The "remarkable" part about it is how few of the fouls Kentucky commits are actually called by the refs.

The game is so fast and the players are so quick that it's difficult to referee, but I think it's fair to say that Griner both gets away with a lot, but she also gets fouled a lot when no whistle is blown.  She's so long that she can block a huge number of shots without making any body contact.  Her block of McBride's layup attempt in the closing seconds of the first half Tuesday night is a perfect example.  I saw a photo online today where the block appeared to be completely clean.

I thought two calls in the Baylor-ND game were huge last night.  I'm not sure ND could've beaten Baylor if those two calls (both of which went against ND) hadn't been made, but they both seemed to shift the momentum toward Baylor. 

The first was the blocking foul called on ND late in the first half that looked more like a charge than a block from my seats way up high in the Pepsi Center.  They showed the replay on the video board on the scoreboard in the arena, but I'm sure the view on your TVs at home was better than my view from the "cheap" seats in Denver.

The second was the foul on Devereaux Peters when she set a vicious pick on Odyssey Sims early in the second half.  Not only did that foul send Peters back to the bench with her 4th foul, but Sims followed it up at the other end with a big shot (I think it was a rainbow 3 from the corner) that helped start a big Baylor run.  Again, from my seat it looked like it could have gone the other way, but I didn't see a good replay so I could be wrong.

For a game that seemed to be pretty loosely called (i.e., the refs clearly were not calling everything), it seems strange that those two calls both went against ND and helped seal their fate.  Maybe their fate was inevitable, but those calls didn't help.

NDorefin wrote: Griner gets fouled most everytime she gets the ball....it looks to me like they are trying to negate her ability by allowing the opposition so much contact.

This is the down side of the system.  The system isn't really "protecting the stars", it's "protecting the game".

On one hand, you have the "protecting the stars" part.  No one wants to see Brittany Griner or Anthony Davis or Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan foul out.  So refs are careful with those calls.  Not exactly to the point where they will swallow a whistle on an obvious foul (usually) or refuse to call a foul just because the person already has 3 (usually), but to the point where they will not call a foul unless it is an obvious one.

On the other hand, star players (especially bigs) can pretty much get mauled without a foul being called on them.  Why?  They are so good they would ruin the game.  NO ONE in college basketball can defend Griner without fouling her.  So, the choice is to let her score 45 while trying not to foul, or keep fouling her until the refs call it.  So, everyone fouls her.  Now, if the refs blew the whistle every time someone fouled Griner, Baylor would get in the bonus (7 fouls, right?) after about  9 or 10 possessions every half.  The other team would empty their bench trying to guard her, and the game would be devoid of entertainment value because no one wants to see a rout that is simultaneously a constant parade to the free throw line.  Shaq got this treatment too.  And Kareem.  And no doubt Wilt as well.

I think the foul called against Peter's was because of the extra push she put on Simms at the end of the screen.  If she kept her arms against her body, it would have been a good screen.  It looked to me like she pushed Simms.  I also think at that point of the game, Peters was very fustrated.  Her emotions got to her.

antstoner wrote: I think the foul called against Peter's was because of the extra push she put on Simms at the end of the screen.  If she kept her arms against her body, it would have been a good screen.  It looked to me like she pushed Simms.  I also think at that point of the game, Peters was very fustrated.  Her emotions got to her.

or the flop by Simms