Pac-10 officials come under fire for calls

Ask the same question three different ways. Ben Howland won't take the bait.

The UCLA coach will not condemn officiating in the Pacific 10 Conference.

"You can go to look at any game throughout the country and there's always going to be a little bit of controversy in a call that was or wasn't made," he says.

But after a pair of hotly debated charging calls against UCLA and USC at Arizona State last weekend -- see USC Coach Tim Floyd's on-court tirade on YouTube -- Pac-10 officials have become a point of contention among college basketball fans in Southern California.

The storm isn't likely to dissipate, not with Washington in town for two games starting with a conference showdown against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion tonight. Just last month, the Huskies enjoyed a combined 83-32 advantage in free throws over the Bruins and Trojans in Seattle.

As UCLA guard Jrue Holiday said: "If I was a fan, I'd be mad at the refs too."

No coach is likely to speak out on the issue -- at least not publicly -- for fear of reprimand. The Pac-10's coordinator of men's basketball officiating, Bill McCabe, refused to be interviewed for this story, offering only brief comment through a spokesman.

It is McCabe's job to oversee a collection of officials who are independent contractors, working for various conferences over the course of a season.

Given what has occurred at Pac-10 games this winter, it is no surprise that officiating has come under fire. In that recent USC-Washington game, the teams were left confused after opposing players ran into each other.

Charge or block? No, a charge and a block.

Evaluating the work of officials can be tricky in ways that go beyond specific instances. Start with a broad perspective.

The old stereotype of home-court advantage has been "discussed for 50 years in basketball," Floyd said, and this season it has proved true more often than not.

In terms of total free throws, all but two Pac-10 teams have been at a disadvantage on the road. All but three have benefited from playing at home.

The combined discrepancies over a dozen or so games for each team have ranged from eight to more than 100 free throws.

"It's not what they call, it's the no-calls that typically hurt teams on the road," Floyd said, speaking in general terms. "No-calls become calls at home."

Conference spokesman Dave Hirsch said: "Maybe teams play better at home."