Question on College Foul Rules

[Ron G]

I have been watching the college basketball for years and don't know the answer to this. I have seen (usually earlier in the game) on an inbound play that a defensive player holds or pull an offensive player and is called for a foul even before the ball is inbounded. If the bonus is in effect, the fouled player shoots the free throw as is the case on any foul. There is never an intentional foul called and no other penalty is enforced.

However, late in the game the trailing team continuously chases the ball to foul the player with the ball while the clock is running. Why don't they just pull the jersey of the worst foul shooter on the court before the ball is inbounded? Is there a different rule late in the game?

 

[TrollyMcTroller]

I have been watching the college basketball for years and don't know the answer to this. I have seen (usually earlier in the game) on an inbound play that a defensive player holds or pull an offensive player and is called for a foul even before the ball is inbounded. If the bonus is in effect, the fouled player shoots the free throw as is the case on any foul. There is never an intentional foul called and no other penalty is enforced.

However, late in the game the trailing team continuously chases the ball to foul the player with the ball while the clock is running. Why don't they just pull the jersey of the worst foul shooter on the court before the ball is inbounded? Is there a different rule late in the game?

There is not a different rule in effect, but much to my chagrin it is typically called way differently at the end of games. Other than things like stopping the clock, I generally hate the idea of anything being different at the end of the game than the other 38 minutes.

If it's a foul in the first minute, it should be a foul in the last minute.

Refs swallowing their whistles at the end of games just forces the players to be more aggressive, and foul harder and harder. I'm still in favor of changing the rules to eliminate any advantage that fouling in late game situations, but regardless if that changes or not, the officiating should be consistent for all 40+ minutes.

/rant

 

[Ron G]

I totally agree. The concept of "let them play" only gives the advantage to the team breaking the rules on that particular call. By the way, I also dislike the idea of looking at who touched the ball last in the last two minutes.
The concept as the announcers so frequently say is "to get it right." I agree with that idea, but they also should be able to determine if the player who touched it last did so because he was fouled. The announcers always defend the refs but never mention the possibility of the foul being called in order "to get it right."