Are games rigged?
- Thread starter SCyclone
- Start date
Interesting. You could explain that as the "locks" letting up a bit because they know they are in the tourney already, and the bubble teams knowing they have to win to get in.
Also, a team like Wisconsin is IN, but their seeding is definitely not decided. A quick exit might mean the difference between a 5 or 6 seed or a drop to a 7 or 8 seed. No team really wants to be in that 8/9 game so I can't see them laying down to help Iowa.
There are definitely teams that have not given 100% in their conference tourneys because they know they are in, but it's not that common and I wouldn't expect it from teams that have a lot riding on their potential seeds.
If memory serves the games with players involved at Florida and Northwestern years ago were point shaving in big spreads, not a W/L scenario. That's a little easier to do.
As Hipphop states, most if the uneven officiating can be credited to the "Mr. Mantle will let you know when you've thrown a strike" superstar treatment. In college the coaches and teams are the stars, so blue bloods get calls. That's the way it has always been. Home court factors in, as does player reputation. For example, Aaron Craft was constantly pumped by Motta and local media as a great defender, and national media followed suit. Eventually he could constantly hold, hand check and get away with tons of contact that others cant. WVU reputation as a great defensive team falls into that category as well. They are very good but that reputation allows them to get away with tons of contact, particularly off the ball.
Obviously coach intimidation factors in as well.
Basically officiating is really hard with the speed of the game currently. When an official doesn't get a good view it is natural to rely on bias.
NCAA basketball games are not rigged, except Kansas games. They're all rigged. Every last one of them. 
Gee, you'd thnk that if games were rigged that KU and Duke wouldn't have been the victims of so many early round upsets.
On one thread this week, KU loses those games because the refs stop being biased and in this one, they only win tourney games thanks to ref bias. You guys gotta get together and get your stories straight.
I agree. I'm pretty happy with my lifestyle as it is. If I had all that easy money from KU boosters, I don't know what I'd do.
Imagine how fun it is to be officiating the championship game of the tournament and having things NOT go the way of the top seed/favorites.
The best teams are used to getting close calls in their favor. Their kids are usually faster and more skilled than the other team, so they lose it when it doesn't go their way.
The best coaches out there are the ones that can readily admit that their team just got beat on any certain day and NOT blame everything on the officials.
This is the major problem with my theory and I'm still trying to figure it out. I really don't think there's that much of a difference between a 5/6 match up in the tourney. Both teams have had 46 upsets over the years. From there, you're either facing a 3 or a 4, again, not much difference. I really don't see Wisconsin sliding to a 7 or especially an 8.
Conference tourneys are like football bowl games. Not all the teams are playing with the same motivation. Some are mailing it in, some are fighting desperately to get in the real tourney, some are looking to lock up seeds, some are trying to cruise and avoid injury, some have given up on a bad season.
So if you're cruising, looking to avoid injury, do you "let" the bubble team win to improve their chances?
Just one example I could think of for this year. They might not drop all the way to an 8, but dropping 4 of their last 5 could hurt them. Their average seed in the Bracket Matrix is a 7. If they win just one in the B1G tourney, they could improve that, if they lose and some teams previously below them play well, I wouldn't be shocked to see them drop to the 8/9.
They probably don't LET someone win, but if it's a question of your star player playing 35 minutes with a bad knee or letting it ride with your backup in for 15+, you probably live to fight another day.
I'd be shocked to see them drop that low. Either way though, it's definitely interesting to me to watch conference tourneys. A lot of people get shocked when these higher seeds lose and it's really not that surprising. Do I think it happens everywhere, every year? No, absolutely not, but I definitely think it happens.
My observations the other night at WV, and I think ISU's play had more to do with the loss than reffing:
WV was very physical and rarely got called, and when it was still within reach for ISU, ISU got called for fouls for 3 straight possessions for things that were probably fouls, but far less physical than what WV does normally without a call.
From there ISU couldn't do much and toward the end when it was basically decided, WV got called for things far less physical than the on-body blocked shot on NWB.
Not sure if that's rigged, but it's certainly consistent with calls going strongly one way.
WV was very physical and rarely got called, and when it was still within reach for ISU, ISU got called for fouls for 3 straight possessions for things that were probably fouls, but far less physical than what WV does normally without a call.
From there ISU couldn't do much and toward the end when it was basically decided, WV got called for things far less physical than the on-body blocked shot on NWB.
Not sure if that's rigged, but it's certainly consistent with calls going strongly one way.
Ha! Thanks - IDK about that, but he has this theory that whichever team "needs" the win most, will get it. Also home court (or field) is virtually a lock. All these things are predetermined, in his mind. My sense is that the gambler in him feels all the odds are against him, are there must be some reason.....it certainly couldn't be because gambling is so easy to make money at, right?
Anyway - lots of good comments here. I appreciate everyone's input.