Fran McCaffery addresses officiating issues in Big Ten

Several coaches around the Big Ten conference this season have expressed malcontent with the officiating this season. And although his contemporaries might not like the job referees have been doing this season, Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery isn’t critical of their performance. In a recent press conference, McCaffrey addressed the officiating issues this season or lack thereof.

“Well, those conversations are ongoing, so you’re going to have conversation with our supervisor of officials. That’s his responsibility. Terry (Wymer) does a terrific job of that,” said McCaffrey.

“That’s all day, every day across the board, and that’s what his responsibility is, and he’s really trying to get his arms around the job. This is his first year, and he’s one of the best that ever did it when he was blowing the whistle. But there’s a lot at stake, and there’s a lot going on. When you’re in a league with so many good players, and so many of these games are coming down to the wire, there has to be more discussion. There’s blowouts; nobody ever talks about the officiating. But they’re not. So somebody is upset about something, and he’s the one who hears about it.”

McCaffery is a fan of the Big Ten officials

The Hawkeyes find themselves in an unfamiliar position, ranked close to the bottom in the Big Ten after going 2-3 in their first few conference games. Their two most recent losses came on the road against Nebraska and Penn State, with the Nittany Lions surviving 83-79 to win the game. For McCaffrey, that loss is not on the referees but on his players and their execution.

“But his job is only one thing, and that is to provide quality officials, the best in the business, and make sure they’re up to the standard that’s been set by the Big Ten, and I think he’s done that. We’ve got the best officials out there. You can complain if you want to, but you’re not going to get anybody that’s any better because we’re getting the best as it is.”

McCaffrey understands that there is a lot at stake every night when you play in a conference as competitive as the Big Ten. Still, the Iowa headman has no interest in blaming the referees for the outcomes of games. McCaffrey understands how difficult the task of officiating college basketball games can be and appreciates the job they’ve been doing thus far this season.