As a coach, I would tell my players that reffing hoops sucks and that they are going to make a million mistakes per game, and that you just have to expect that going into it. Otherwise, the players will lose their heads like the fans do, and that’s when they will start playing like crap.

Missed call? Accept it and move on….

Beat writers are not prohibited from commenting on officiating, but it is our job to remain impartial, which necessarily means that my view may be different than yours or that of the coach, who is substantially invested in this.

Are there bad calls? All the time. Basketball is THE most difficult sport to officiate because there is contact constantly and you cannot call everything (at Monty said after the Washington game). I’ll be honest: I do not think the officiating in the Pac-10 is markedly worse (or different) this season than ever. Games are called differently here than, say, in the Big East. That’s always been the case.

Bottom line: I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of games I’ve covered (out of hundreds) where officiating truly has dictated the outcome. Things tend to even out over the course of a game, certainly over the course of a season.

I have written about “bad” calls a few times (Cal at UCLA a couple years ago comes to mind), but must be careful to do so without taking sides (one way or the other), rather simply comment on what appeared to happen (especially if a TV replay is available) and how those involved responded to it. It’s just not our job to lose our minds over the refs. Certainly fans and coaches are within their rights doing so.

I know this: I wouldn’t want to officiate hoops. Very tough job. Hope that answers your questions.

With all of the close games Cal has lost this year, those bad calls are definitely a factor. Moving screens are my biggest pet peeve. Officials also seem to be more than reluctant to call fouls on the league’s superstars. (How many shooters push off the Cal defender before draining a jump shot?)

It would be nice if the writers would mention officiating lapses in their game coverage. Then, maybe, the league might take notice.

Hey Dave, it’s “breaking.” If you’re going to be snarky, do it right.