Refs earning their stripes

FAU coach Mike Jarvis believes higher quality officiating allows for situations where NCAA Tournament upsets can happen.

Originally published on 3/23/2010

by Chuck King

There were big shots and surprising performances, but FAU basketball coach Mike Jarvis believes the biggest reason so many lower-seeded schools advanced in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament can be directly attributed to the referees.

Jarvis doesn’t consider that to be a bad thing. In fact, he’s giving them a pat on the back.

The officials are helped, Jarvis argues, by the games being played at a neutral site, removing some of the “home team” calls that often prevent visiting small conference schools from pulling regular season upsets.

“It’s a different game,” Jarvis said. “There isn’t as much of as disparity for the home team. I think that leads to a lot of the upsets. The most important player in most games is the officials. Most people don’t want to believe that. They determine how the game is played and who will be on the bench.”

Jarvis, who led teams from St. John’s, George Washington and Boston University to the NCAA tournament, believes referees feel a different level of accountability during the tournament.

“The difference, now, is that they are under a microscope and they have to call the game more consistent,” he said. “If referees called the game the way they were supposed to call the game during the regular reason, they would be more consistent.”

As much as Jarvis enjoyed the upsets, they didn’t help his bracket selections much. Only half of his Final Four picks survived.

Jarvis’ revised bracket now includes Ohio St. and Duke joining original picks Syracuse and Kentucky.

“In the end it’s still going to be the big boys,” Jarvis said.

Should one of the Cinderellas continue it’s run to the Final Four, Jarvis believes it will be No. 10 seed St. Mary’s.

“I think St. Mary’s can beat Baylor,” Jarvis said. “St Mary’s big guy (Omar Samhan) is as good as any big guy I’ve seen.”