Mountain West defends officiating despite controversial calls

When officiating is in the news, it's seldom a good week for the conference.

And for the Mountain West, this has been a particularly bad week, having been forced to issue statements on back-to-back days over the botched handling at the end of a game Wednesday between Boise State and Colorado State that created national headlines and sparked discussion on TV and sports talk radio.

That controversy came after the conference released a statement last Saturday saying an inbounds pass in the New Mexico-San Diego State game wasn't properly handled.

Two such incidents in less than a week have made the Mountain West the object of derision and put the conference on defense regarding its officials.

But conference commissioner Craig Thompson insisted in a statement that the Mountain West didn't have major problems regarding those who call league games.

"This is not an uncommon year in men's basketball," Thompson said. "We've had numerous close games over the past month, and there have been two issues arise over that time frame.

"One was not an official's issue, but rather a timing circumstance. In both instances, protocols and procedures were followed. The quality of the officials within our consortium, which includes the Pac-12, Big West, West Coast and Western Athletic conferences, is of upmost importance and is designed to emphasize the same level of uniformity and consistency across all games."

UNLV interim coach Todd Simon defended the officials.

"I think we have good officials in the league overall, and I respect the heck out of the job those guys do," Simon said. "It's a tough gig. It's a really tough gig. They're doing the best they can just like we're doing the best we can."

Besides, Simon doesn't want his players to think about the officials when they have enough to be concerned about in trying to beat the opponent. The Rebels (14-11, 5-7 MW) play Colorado State (14-10, 6-5) at 7 p.m. today at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The game will be televised on ESPNU, and UNLV is a 7½-point favorite.

Colorado State was the beneficiary of the much-discussed call Wednesday in which Boise State's James Webb III appeared to beat the buzzer in the first overtime with a 3-pointer to give the Broncos the victory.

The officials checked the replay by using the timing system supplied by DVSport and determined the shot took longer than the eight-tenths of a second that were on the clock. Instead of celebrating the victory, Boise State was forced to play a second overtime, and the Rams went on to win 97-93.

"Everybody knows I don't let my emotions run much on social media," Boise State's Anthony Drmic tweeted, "but when players on the opposing team say we got cheated how can I not."

Referee Dave Hall released a statement explaining how he followed the timing procedures to determine the shot took 1.2 or 1.3 seconds, and the Mountain West backed him up with a statement of its own.

However, it was quickly pointed out on social media the timing system used by Hall and his crew at the bottom of the monitor was faster than the clock at the top of the backboard, something the conference acknowledged in another statement issued Friday.

"The outcome of this subsequent review determined the Boise State player most likely released the shot just prior to the 0.8 second threshold and thus the shot should have counted," the statement read.

The conference also said by rule the game cannot be protested nor the result overturned. Spokesman Javan Hedlund said the only exception would be if the game were to be forfeited.

Boise State, of course, wasn't pleased by the outcome, even if the Broncos were vindicated that a mistake had been made.

"As a team, we have moved on to prepare for our game (today) against Wyoming," Broncos coach Leon Rice said in a statement. "As coaches and players, our job is to be resilient in the face of extreme circumstances. I'm proud of this group and how they have handled the adversity that has been unfortunately placed upon them. The matter is above and beyond our control now and in the hands of the conference office."

Rice also told ESPN the conference should award the Broncos the victory.

"Absolutely,'' Rice said. "A rule was broken in that they used a video that was not synced up, and you can't do that.''

This controversy would be bad enough for the Mountain West by itself, but it also came on the heels of what happened last Saturday at San Diego State. The conference released a statement that night saying the official erred in ruling New Mexico didn't properly inbound the ball with 12.9 seconds left.

New Mexico led 66-63 at the time, and had the Lobos' pass been allowed to stand, it probably would have forced the Aztecs to foul. That would have given the Lobos an opportunity to extend the lead to a two-possession game. Instead, San Diego State's Malik Pope sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer, and the Aztecs went on to win 78-71.

Not a good week for the conference — the standings impacted by two blown calls.

And not exactly comforting for the league coaches as the regular season nears its end.

"We try to emphasize on controlling what you can control," Simon said, "and be respectful and do what you do right and let the chips fall where they may."

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65