Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 29, 1992                   TAG: 9203290015
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BILL BRILL
DATELINE: PHILADELPHIA                                 LENGTH: Medium

NCAA MEMORIES SHOULDN'T HAVE TO INCLUDE BAD CALLS

Shouldn't have happened last year in the Final Four at Indianapolis when Pete Pavia called a second, disqualifying technical foul on North Carolina coach Dean Smith.

Shouldn't have happened Thursday night at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, when Lennie Wirtz slapped a sudden "T" on Massachusetts coach John Calipari.

Shouldn't have happened, even though, technically speaking, Pavia and Wirtz were within their rights.

We assume each technical was called for leaving the coaching box. "Assume" is the buzzword here because officials never are required to face the media and explain their actions, and especially never, ever in the NCAA Tournament.

The standard line, uttered again by officiating supervisor Hank Nichols, is that it was a judgement call, not something that is open for interpretation.

Smith, leading a substitute to the scorer's table against Kansas in a game his team clearly was going to lose, obviously was beyond the coaching box.

Smith also reportedly had been baiting the officials all night. No matter. Pavia, a long-time official, should have ignored it. Even if Smith wanted the technical, Pavia should have refused to call it.

The official's decision detracted from the game, from what Kansas coach Roy Williams had done in beating his mentor, and was embarrassing to all.

The "T" by Wirtz was far more critical.

UMass, once down by 21 points against favored Kentucky, had battled back to trail 70-68.

Deron Feldhaus missed a 3-pointer for Kentucky, and volatile Calipari leaped high in the air when Sean Woods claimed the long rebound for the Wildcats from behind Anton Brown.

From my seat almost directly behind the UMass bench, I can't say if Calipari was out of the coaching box. TV replays indicate that he had one foot in, one out, and then leaped, coming down slightly outside the taped line that Wirtz had put on the floor before the game.

From a full 50-60 feet away, Wirtz called the technical. Kentucky made both free throws, then a layup, and never was tested again. Would the Wildcats have won anyway? We'll never know.

Calipari and equally emotional Rick Pitino had been standing, jumping and jawing all night. Pitino even yelled at his close friend in the heat of the action, "Shut your ------- mouth."

Both coaches had been warned to stay in the box, likely because Iowa State's Johnny Orr had complained that Pitino didn't in a second-round game.

No matter. In this case, Calipari wasn't close to the action. He wasn't screaming at the officials, or if he was, Wirtz couldn't have heard him from that distance. It was no more than the coach had been doing all night.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose team played the same nights both calls were made, said Friday, "Whether it's a good call or not depends on the timeliness of the call.

"Officials should always use common sense and show discretion. It's a rule, and if there's a lot of abuse, it should be called."

Clearly Krzyzewski understood abuse wasn't the case here.

Pavia was wrong. Wirtz was worse. Officiating is at its best when you can't remember who worked the game.

In these cases, you can't forget, and that's a shame.