Bill McCabe, the coordinator of officials for the Pac-10, wasn't convinced Friday that official Kevin Brill made the right call late in the Stanford-UCLA game.
Brill called a foul on Stanford's
Lawrence Hill on
Darren Collison drive with 2.5 seconds left in regulation. This was after Hill had given Stanford a two-point lead on a drive five seconds earlier.
Collison hit both free throws to tie the game at 63 and force overtime. UCLA won in OT, 77-67, to clinch the Pac-10 title outright over second-place Stanford.
"There was body contact, but it's not a strong call, not a game appropriate call,'' McCabe told ESPN.com Friday. "I think you want a strong call at the close of the game.''
The replay showed that Hill was vertical and had blocked Collison's shot. There was contact at the hip area, but was it enough?
McCabe said he talked to Brill after the game.
"Kevin came in and said 'I cracked the whistle. Was it too soon?' He had body contact, but it's not a strong call. It's not an incorrect call, and that doesn't make it wrong. But I want solid calls."
McCabe was at the game and said it was a judgment call, and it can't be reversed. He said that Brill and the rest of the crew -- Bobby Mcroy and Milt Stowe -- worked hard and did a good job of keeping the big men (UCLA's
Kevin Love and Stanford's
Brook Lopez) on the court late in the game.
"I can't ask any more than that,'' McCabe said. "It's important to have the big guys in the game and in overtime. I don't want the big guys on the bench. I want solid calls. If there's contact, make sure it's a strong call."
Stanford coach Trent Johnson was visibly upset Thursday night. But after the game and again on Friday, he remained diplomatic and wouldn't criticize the officiating. However, after watching the video, he didn't change his mind, either.
"We were in control for most of the game until the final three or four seconds [of regulation],'' Johnson said by phone from Los Angeles in preparation for Saturday's Pac-10 finale against USC. "We missed two block outs and had three turnovers prior to the [call] so it shouldn't have come to that. That's not what got us beat.''
Johnson said the Cardinal (24-5, 13-4) are resilient, and he added that Stanford showed toughness in taking it to UCLA (27-3, 15-2).
Johnson was not surprised that the Cardinal were the aggressor Thursday night at Pauley.
"We have toughness to us, contrary to what others think,'' Johnson said. "For us to go into that environment wasn't a surprise to me or our guys. We played extremely well.''
Final nuggets
• Arizona interim coach Kevin O'Neill said Friday that sophomore guard
Nic Wise had no soreness or swelling after playing 34 minutes in an 81-45 victory at Oregon State Thursday night. Wise missed the past seven games with a knee injury.
"It was like having our steering wheel back,'' O'Neill said as he prepped for Saturday's game against Oregon. "He played well, really well.''
Arizona looked as good as it has all season in the win over the Beavers. O'Neill is confident that the Wildcats (18-12, 8-9) should be in the field of 65, regardless of what happens in Eugene. O'Neill just wants to get into the field because if Arizona does, he likes its chances against anyone in the tournament.
• Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie thinks his Wildcats would fare well in the NCAAs, too.
"Not to sound cocky, but we played the No. 1 team on their homecourt, where they were undefeated and extended them to the last play of the game,'' Gillispie said Friday.
Gillispie said he's not into politicking the Wildcats (17-11, 11-4 in the SEC) into the Dance. But UK nearly beat Tennessee last Sunday without second-leading scorer and primary post producer
Patrick Patterson (out with a broken foot) and then won at South Carolina in advance of Sunday's finale against Florida.
Gillispie points out that the Wildcats have beaten nine different teams in the SEC and have seen their RPI soar from in the 200s to under 50 in the conference.
"You hate to lose a player of that magnitude, but our team has been resilient all year long,'' Gillispie said. "It's a great story after a rough start because of all our injuries. Our guys have been fantastic, and we've got two great senior guards (
Joe Crawford and
Ramel Bradley).
"I wouldn't doubt our team against any opponent,'' Gillispie said.
• Oklahoma freshman sensation
Blake Griffin may play Saturday against Missouri, according to OU. He has missed only one game -- a win at Oklahoma State -- after having knee surgery. This would be the second quick recovery from a knee injury for Griffin this season.
• Former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson told ESPN.com Friday that he met with Arkansas State officials Thursday in Jonesboro. He said he toured the facilities and is waiting to see an offer on paper before making a decision. Richardson said he didn't receive an offer while in Jonesboro. "When I see things on paper, that's when I talk about them,'' Richardson, 66, said. Richardson hopes for some sort of resolution on the matter next week. Arkansas State, which finished its Sun Belt season Wednesday with a loss to North Texas, was 10-20 overall and 5-13 in the league. It is searching to replace head coach Dickey Nutt.
Andy Katz
