Chances are you won't recognize the three men in stripped shirts refereeing the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's game against Montana State tonight at the Resch Center.
UWGB coach Tod Kowalczyk won't even know who they are until he shakes their hands shortly before the 7:05 p.m. tipoff.
That's because the game will be officiated by three refs assigned by the Big Sky Conference, a faraway league that the visiting Bobcats were picked to win this season.
The home-and-home agreement between UWGB (2-5) and Montana State (3-4) called for last year's game in Bozeman, Mont., to be officiated by referees assigned by the Horizon League, meaning they would be guys who normally work UWGB's games.
That almost wasn't the way things worked out. When the Phoenix arrived in Bozeman last December, two sets of referees ? one assigned by the Horizon League and one by the Big Sky ? showed up at Worthington Arena. Whether it was an honest administrative mistake or the Bobcats trying to pull a fast one might never be known, but after a brief discussion between the coaches, the Horizon League crew of Tim Hutchinson, Dennis Bracco and Dennis Arinello did the game.
"I tell our coaches when they go on the road to carry their contracts," said John Adams, supervisor of officials for the Horizon League. "If it says they're going to have officials assigned by the Horizon League, then they're going to be there, and we want them to referee the game."
What's the big deal?
Ask Montana State coach Mick Durham.
"We shot three free throws last year on our home floor," Durham said Friday. "So Tod better not say a word about the refs. Three free throws last year in Bozeman. That's it."
The Phoenix shot 17 foul shots and won 75-70.
Something similar happened to the Phoenix during the 1998-99 season, when UWGB went 20-11 but was left out of the postseason. For a non-conference game at Appalachian State on Feb. 3, 1999, former Phoenix coach Mike Heideman could have insisted refs from UWGB's league work the game, but he opted not to do so. Appalachian State shot 34 free throws to UWGB's five, and the Phoenix lost 55-53. It's possible that loss kept the Phoenix out of the NIT.
It should go without saying that refs are supposed to be impartial, but they're also human.
Can they be influenced by a raucous home crowd? Maybe. That's a reason some coaches insist refs from their league work their non-conference road games.
Does familiarity make them see plays ? or call plays ? differently? It could be argued that it works both ways. Perhaps there could be a tendency to help the team the refs know, but it could work the other way if that ref had a bad experience or a run-in with that team during a previous game.
Kowalczyk has a solution to all of this.
"How refereeing should be assigned is through a national office," Kowalczyk said. "They should be regionalized. There should be a regional director in charge of Midwest referees. Refs should not work for conferences, in my opinion, because there are certain conferences where refs will help their own. I think our refs in the Horizon League are extremely fair, and John Adams is one of the best in the business. I'm not so sure other leagues are that way."
Here's how the Horizon League handles its officials: Referees assigned by Adams to work games involving conference teams also may work for other leagues because they are independent contractors. An official who calls games at UWGB one night might work a Big Ten game in West Lafayette, Ind., the next night and a Mid-American Conference game in Athens, Ohio, the night after that.
If UWGB is playing a non-conference game and the contract with the other school calls for the referees to be assigned by the Horizon League, then there's a good chance the refs will be guys Kowalczyk likes. Each Horizon League coach can send Adams an evaluation form that essentially serves as a ranking of officials, and Adams tries to give coaches referees they have highly rated. However, it wouldn't be right for coaches to expect any breaks, according to Adams.
"Every referee should be striving to create a fair game that creates an environment that lets the team that plays the best win the game," Adams said. "That's what I tell our guys when we meet. That's our goal ? fair games. I'm not sure every league operates in that environment, but ours does. I don't think it's the job of the officials to help one team or another. Just be fair."
UWGB coach Tod Kowalczyk won't even know who they are until he shakes their hands shortly before the 7:05 p.m. tipoff.
That's because the game will be officiated by three refs assigned by the Big Sky Conference, a faraway league that the visiting Bobcats were picked to win this season.
The home-and-home agreement between UWGB (2-5) and Montana State (3-4) called for last year's game in Bozeman, Mont., to be officiated by referees assigned by the Horizon League, meaning they would be guys who normally work UWGB's games.
That almost wasn't the way things worked out. When the Phoenix arrived in Bozeman last December, two sets of referees ? one assigned by the Horizon League and one by the Big Sky ? showed up at Worthington Arena. Whether it was an honest administrative mistake or the Bobcats trying to pull a fast one might never be known, but after a brief discussion between the coaches, the Horizon League crew of Tim Hutchinson, Dennis Bracco and Dennis Arinello did the game.
"I tell our coaches when they go on the road to carry their contracts," said John Adams, supervisor of officials for the Horizon League. "If it says they're going to have officials assigned by the Horizon League, then they're going to be there, and we want them to referee the game."
What's the big deal?
Ask Montana State coach Mick Durham.
"We shot three free throws last year on our home floor," Durham said Friday. "So Tod better not say a word about the refs. Three free throws last year in Bozeman. That's it."
The Phoenix shot 17 foul shots and won 75-70.
Something similar happened to the Phoenix during the 1998-99 season, when UWGB went 20-11 but was left out of the postseason. For a non-conference game at Appalachian State on Feb. 3, 1999, former Phoenix coach Mike Heideman could have insisted refs from UWGB's league work the game, but he opted not to do so. Appalachian State shot 34 free throws to UWGB's five, and the Phoenix lost 55-53. It's possible that loss kept the Phoenix out of the NIT.
It should go without saying that refs are supposed to be impartial, but they're also human.
Can they be influenced by a raucous home crowd? Maybe. That's a reason some coaches insist refs from their league work their non-conference road games.
Does familiarity make them see plays ? or call plays ? differently? It could be argued that it works both ways. Perhaps there could be a tendency to help the team the refs know, but it could work the other way if that ref had a bad experience or a run-in with that team during a previous game.
Kowalczyk has a solution to all of this.
"How refereeing should be assigned is through a national office," Kowalczyk said. "They should be regionalized. There should be a regional director in charge of Midwest referees. Refs should not work for conferences, in my opinion, because there are certain conferences where refs will help their own. I think our refs in the Horizon League are extremely fair, and John Adams is one of the best in the business. I'm not so sure other leagues are that way."
Here's how the Horizon League handles its officials: Referees assigned by Adams to work games involving conference teams also may work for other leagues because they are independent contractors. An official who calls games at UWGB one night might work a Big Ten game in West Lafayette, Ind., the next night and a Mid-American Conference game in Athens, Ohio, the night after that.
If UWGB is playing a non-conference game and the contract with the other school calls for the referees to be assigned by the Horizon League, then there's a good chance the refs will be guys Kowalczyk likes. Each Horizon League coach can send Adams an evaluation form that essentially serves as a ranking of officials, and Adams tries to give coaches referees they have highly rated. However, it wouldn't be right for coaches to expect any breaks, according to Adams.
"Every referee should be striving to create a fair game that creates an environment that lets the team that plays the best win the game," Adams said. "That's what I tell our guys when we meet. That's our goal ? fair games. I'm not sure every league operates in that environment, but ours does. I don't think it's the job of the officials to help one team or another. Just be fair."
