Classics basketball games are fun to watch anytime

In 40 years of officiating I saw a lot of good basketball games, so-so games and ugly games. Only a few games were truly great or instant classics.

The three-overtime OU-KU basketball game last month on ESPN qualified as an instant classic.

From an official?s view, well-played games are easier to call than games in which teams struggle to make shots. It?s harder to officiate a poorly played game, because you are forced to make more judgment calls. And that makes it hard to be consistent.

I remember attending a high school coaches and officials meeting before the season, and one coach said, ?All we want (from officials) is consistency.?

A veteran official gave a great response. He said, ?You want consistency, we want consistency, everyone wants consistency. The trouble is, they aren?t always playing consistently out there.?

Watching the thriller between the Jayhawks and Sooners in early January was fun. The two teams played like the top two teams in the country. Whether they end up that way remains to be seen, but players on both teams played at a high level.

In those games, there really are no losers. Oh, I know KU finished with three more points than OU, but coaches, players and fans of both teams had to be proud of the quality of play.

It reminded me of when Wichita State lost to Louis?ville in the Final Four a few years ago or came up short against Kentucky two years ago. In spite of the score, when your team plays at a high level, you can still be proud of the effort and quality of play.

In fact, after the NCAA Tournament, many experts said the WSU/Kentucky game was the best game in the tournament.

I recall former college and pro basketball player Charles Barkley saying that in his five years of being a college basketball analyst, the WSU/Kentucky game was played at the highest level of all the games he?d seen.

That?s what the KU/OU memorable marathon game felt like.

One thing that?s unfortunate is the lack of space on the sidelines at some major college venues, including Allen Fieldhouse. I?ve been in situations when there?s little space on the sideline or end line, making it difficult for players to make a throw-in.

As an official, I would instruct the defensive player to step back to allow room for the required three-foot space for the person throwing the ball inbounds. KU?s Frank Mason was smart by being in Buddy Hield?s face as he tried to throw the ball inbounds late in the third overtime.

Writing on ESPN.com, Dana O?Neil said the officials cautioned Mason to push back the requisite three feet. He obliged, but as soon as the official handed him the ball, Mason took a step toward Hield, knowing no one would whistle him for it. Mason managed to get his hand on the pass, deflecting it to himself. It was a huge play in a game full of huge plays.

The crazy thing is, in the grand scheme of things, the game didn?t mean all that much. There are a lot of games to play and other teams will have a say as to where KU and OU finish the year.

One thing we know is that the same two teams will meet again Feb. 13 in Norman, Okla. It wouldn?t shock anyone if the same two teams met again in the Big 12 Tournament, or even in the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament.

If KU and OU met in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament when the stakes are highest, there are no guarantees the game would be played as well or be more exciting than the game in Lawrence in early Janu?ary.

But, I?m sure most Jayhawk and Sooner fans would be happy to find out.

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