Arizona Basketball could benefit from a challenge system in NCAA CBB

After the Arizona Basketball team suffered a three-point loss to Colorado on the road, many would say that the referees had something to do with it.

It’s time for a challenge system to prevent incorrect calls from changing the outcome of a game.  Arizona Basketball could have benefited from a rule like this during the end of their game with the Colorado Buffaloes.

Enough is enough! Arizona Wildcat fans and college basketball fans it’s time we unite and spread the word – a challenge system is a must! After a slow start to the first half of the Colorado game, the Wildcats made their patent “run” in the second half but was not enough for the victory.

At the end of the game, there were some AWFUL calls by the referee consortium calling Pac-12 games, These calls, unfortunately, decided the outcome of the game. If only there were a challenge system. Rawle Alkins blocked a ball, and they called a foul, incredible. Bill Walton was just as surprised as Alkins and all of us watching the play on repeat at home.

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Football, baseball, and even tennis have challenge-based systems in places for coaches or players to challenge a ruling on the field or the court. Why not basketball? Yes, the officials do review plays during a game, such as in the last two minutes of the 2nd half or who a foul should be called on or issues with the time clock or who a ball was last touched by.  The coaches though have no opportunity to challenge a call. They can yell and scream all they want during the game to a point, but it does no good for them as far as the outcome of the call at that moment.

Remember, Miller’s famous complaint, “He touched the ball”? Well, we all know that challenge ended up costing Miller $25,000.

If coaches do voice their opinion about the referee’s calls, they get reprimanded. Coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils found this out the hard way after his team lost in OT to Colorado on the road. Hurley voiced his opinion about a foul call on Mickey Mitchell with 41 seconds left in OT saying that, “the last foul was a complete joke.” It was clearly all ball, but the refs did not see it that way, and Mitchell fouled out.

There is such a double standard with foul calls. It’s okay for the referees to get away with bad calls, but as a coach apparently, you can’t say anything about it. You have to be okay with it.

That’s not right at all in my opinion! I hate to defend Coach Hurley, but he should have the right to share with the media his thoughts on how the game was called. There is Freedom of Speech in the US; it’s the First Amendment to the Constitution. Ever heard of it Pac-12 or NCAA?!

The challenge system that I am proposing would involve each coach having one challenge per half, that can be used at any point during each half for any type of call. Win or lose a challenge; you still have the same amount of challenges remaining, and you wouldn’t lose a timeout. Simple yet effective.

Here are three reasons why there needs to a challenge system implemented in NCAA basketball (and even maybe in the NBA).