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Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:39 pm EST

Another day, another absurd, uncalled Duke traveling violation

By Chris Chase

For the second time in a week, a Duke player has gotten away with a traveling violation so egregious that even LeBron was probably surprised by the lack of whistle.

The non-call on Elliot Williams' moonwalk from earlier this week was pretty bad, but this one may have been worse. I was watching that Duke-Wake Forest games with eagle eyes for every perceived slight that went against the Demon Deacons and even I missed the Williams Shuffle (as it will now be known). Only upon replay did the walk become clear to the masses. Plus, that was an inconsequential play early in the second half of a game Duke led with ease.

Conversely, Saturday's violation occurred at a crucial point in the Duke-Virginia Tech game. The Hokies were down three when Jon Scheyer did his best imitation of somebody using a hula hoop. Had the refs made the proper call, Tech would have had the ball down three with a little over 15 seconds left. The lack of a whistle may have prevented a game-tying bucket.

Of course, with the way Virginia Tech's season has gone they probably would have lost at the buzzer anyway, doubtlessly on a play in which Gerald Henderson barrelled down the court clutching the ball like an NFL running back. 

Thanks for the vid, The Big Lead

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105 Comments

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  1. Al S.
    1. Posted by Al S. Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:51 pm EDT

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    wow, that was just... wow.
    the announcer was right, there was at least 3 traveling calls there. I can't say anything more here than wow, that was bad.
  2. J
    2. Posted by J Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:41 pm EDT

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    Scheyer starts out with both feet in the lane and ends up with both feet out of the lane without the ball ever toughing the floor, that should have been a easy call.
    The officiating in the NCAA, or at least the ACC, gets worse and worse, bad officiating of games is now the norm and not the exception. Most games it seems that the 3 officials are not together on how the are calling the game and the result is that what is called one minute is not called the next. One minute a player can get mugged and the be no call and the next a touch foul is called. This is not bias officiating as calls are made both ways, it is just inconsistent officiating and it screws up the game because the players are unsure of how the game is being called. These officials are paid what $700 - $1000 per game plus expenses, for that pay the conference should get better results. I say grade the officials and pay them based on their grade not their experience as is done today, maybe then they will be motivated to call the games by the rules. If this does not work fire them and go find some good High School refs.
  3. Matthew M
    3. Posted by Matthew M Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:23 pm EDT

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    PS- A few posts back a commenter on another of your ridiculous posts (where you flat out LIED about Maryland fans not cheering at Nolan Smith's injury when they did) said that as a UNC fan he wanted you to stop your crazy anti-Duke posts because its people like you who ruin the rivalry with your bitter and un-clever rantings. I bet you also hate the Yankees, USC, and Notre Dame because everyone else does (not because you're on the other side of some rivalry). You are basically a band-wagon hater which is worse than being a band-wagon fan and to be honest really sad. So I think I've come to realize that I should stop getting pissed at your weird Duke-hate and just pity you.
  4. Marc
    4. Posted by Marc Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:50 pm EDT

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    i was at the game...one of many many missed or bad calls. all i can say is brutal
  5. Marc
    5. Posted by Marc Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:50 pm EDT

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    and im not one to defend chris chase cause hes a redskins fan, but shut the f up Matthew M. your a typical duke fan b*tching that everyones against you and blah-blah-blah. For real, you get calls admit it, it happens every week, every year. Have fun losing in the second round like last year...remember when joe alexander stuffed brian zubeck. hahaha
  6. lrankinen45
    6. Posted by lrankinen45 Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:58 pm EDT

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    Blake Griffin Player of the YEAR!!! http://sportsepicenter.blogspot.com/
  7. Zach
    7. Posted by Zach Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:58 pm EDT

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    sweet post
  8. Rick J
    8. Posted by Rick J Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:10 pm EDT

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    Another great post exposing the conspiracy of the ACC officials to help dook win games. Is ESPN paying the refs to do it so dook and unc will play for the regular season ACC title next weekend? Is ratface indimitating the officials by threatening their jobs if they dare go against him? Is Swofford sending down an edict from the top to protect ACC ad revenue, helping dook and unc get better ACC Tournament seeds? After all, a unc/dook final will draw many more viewers than a wake/clemson final. Whatever is happening, there is no way the officials are simply NOT SEEING walks and fouls made by dook in very critical calls during important game situations, but are noticing those on the other team. Why else was Vasquez saddled with 4 fouls AT THE 16 MINUTE MARK of the second half, while he went for a triple double again unc? Now it sets everything up for a HUGE game next Sunday on ESPN where dook and unc play for a share of the ACC regular season crown. Lots of viewers, lots of money, lots of national exposure. Coincidence? NO! Regardless of who is behind it, or the reasons, someone with some ethics needs to get involved in this scandal and get to the bottom of it! Allowing it to continue just helps rot away what little integrity is left in ACC basketball.
  9. silverado71
    9. Posted by silverado71 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:06 pm EDT

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    What else would you expect in a Duke game? Duke is forever known for getting calls that go their way in critical times during the game.
  10. silverado71
    10. Posted by silverado71 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:06 pm EDT

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    Rick J,
    Amen. ESPN should be known as the ACC channel. ESPN should hire Digger Phelps away from CBS and he could have a 24 hour a day ACC-Duke-North Carolina channel.
  11. Karse J.
    11. Posted by Karse J. Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:47 pm EDT

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    What you guys don't mention is that Scheyer was fouled like 3 times during that process, and none of those were called. Goes both ways. Deal with it.
  12. Robert M
    12. Posted by Robert M Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:03 pm EDT

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    Absolutely terrible call...But if you idiots think that it only happens in the ACC and at Duke, youre crazy...It is happening in every conference and every game...But I would also like to see some of Tarhole Hansbrough's "post" moves and all the calls that he gets posted on here too. No wonder he just broke the freethrow record...breathe on him hard (after he walks) and he gets the call...
  13. Rick J
    13. Posted by Rick J Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:10 pm EDT

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    Amen, Robert M, Amen. Hanstravel was seen as the ACC's "great white hope" when he came in the league, much like jj reddick was a few years ago. They both were allowed to get away with all kinds of crazy stuff to appeal to the masses and to have an annointed poster-child. dook/unc's national mouthpiece dookie v hypes them beyond belief, and they have great careers at their respective schools. Ask yourself why. Then they go on to the NBA in a ridiculously high draft status, are paid handsomely for the use of their face and name in the ACC, and then ride the pine in the league until the team who drafted them can unload them. Ask yourself why it is hanstravel and not green or lawson who gets all the protection. Ask yourself why it was ratface and not sheldon williams who got all the attention. It all comes down to money and marketing in the crooked corrupt corporation known as the ACC.
  14. b b
    14. Posted by b b Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:45 pm EDT

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    Nice to see Matt M brought the whine. When will Chris L show up with the cheese?
    When the highlights on SportsCenter start off with the play, well... egregious is the charitable word to use.
  15. UncPhil
    15. Posted by UncPhil Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:04 pm EDT

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    Not only a traveling violation, but should have been a 5 second violation as well. What a joke. DOOK sucks!!
  16. Joe
    16. Posted by Joe Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:38 pm EDT

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    yes, i can see the conspiracy here. no less than 10 fouls in 5 seconds with a player just trying to not get a concussion from all the hacking. yes, i agree, terrible officiating. chris chase is an idiot.
  17. heelfanatic
    17. Posted by heelfanatic Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:28 pm EDT

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    wow. I can't tell what is more absurd, the non-call, or some of the posts that I've just pondered over...
  18. badgerman
    18. Posted by badgerman Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:50 pm EDT

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    Virginia Tech also lost on a (less-impressive than the Xavier one) last-second shot to Trevon Hughes and Wisconsin.
  19. Kyle S
    19. Posted by Kyle S Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:20 pm EDT

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    Why don't you pan your eyes up and take a look at the 3 grabs of scheyer's arm during that play also? Yes, was a travel, but also a foul. The ref isn't looking at the feet in that situation. He's looking for the foul (which he also missed). There were missed calls in the game that went vatech's way also which put them in the position to only be down three at this point in the game. The blatant elbow to singler's head to keep him from receiving a pass for an open lay up, the technical on Henderson was AWFUL and led to 5 points for vatech(the replay clearly shows he never said a word), scheyer's layup with a forearm across the head and a lot of body contact which was called a clean block. But of course the Duke haters forget these plays.
  20. Bob C
    20. Posted by Bob C Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Can yall stop with the hate? Yea there was a walk,but what about the uncalled fouls? How bout yall take the stick outta your ass and wipe the bias from your eyes so you can show both sides. Thans
  21. Heather C
    21. Posted by Heather C Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:04 pm EDT

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    If you are going to harp about the officiating, then why don't you mention the uncalled intentional elbow that Kyle Singler recieved in the face? Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZZuG_ygtUg
    Watch that and then tell me that Duke "gets all the calls"....
    If that one was called like it should have been, Duke would have been up by more, and there is no way this travel would have mattered anyway...
    Your bias is annoyingly blantant.
  22. Karse J.
    22. Posted by Karse J. Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:47 pm EDT

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    You guys do realize that all this attention you give, no matter how negative and biased, only helps Duke. If Duke didn't receive these gobs of attention from the media and the haters, then they wouldn't have such a recruiting advantage, get such good endorsements from Nike and other companies (first to get new, customized jerseys), and get almost all of their games on national television (while being the most watched team in college basketball... because everyone wants to see them lose). If you really wanted to stop Duke Basketball, just stop paying attention. They'll wither and die. Duke Basketball thrives off your hatred and attention; it only makes them stronger. But of course, Chris will continue to post about Duke on the Dagger to keep up the web hits.
  23. dbd
    23. Posted by dbd Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:51 pm EDT

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    Chris, I will begin this post the way I begin most. You're an idiot.
    Did Scheyer travel? Absolutely. Watch a little more closely. I count 5, maybe 6 reach in fouls, none of which were called. What about the nasty elbow that Singler took earlier in the game? You don't seem to be complaining about that? Or the ridiculous technical that Henderson received in the first half? THAT was the most ridiculous call or non-call of the evening.
    The refs were giving VT a chance to steal that ball by not immediately calling the barrage of fouls that were committed. It stands to reason that they'd let Scheyer get away with a bit of a walk when he is being pushed by two VT players.
    And again, you're an idiot. Your career consists of focussing all of your efforts on hating players who are living your unfulfilled dream of a college basketball career, while you're stuck writing about them on an online blog. In short, you're pathetic, and an embarrassment to Yahoo sports and college basketball fans alike.
  24. JDM
    24. Posted by JDM Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:31 pm EDT

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    Another day, another stupid Chris Chase anti-Duke rant. I wonder when he'll be all up in arms about this travel?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mAYkA6z068
  25. fordy
    25. Posted by fordy Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:01 pm EDT

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    I hate Duke and I LOVE the fact they get so many calls and such help from the refs in the ACC. This is why they lose to teams like VCU in the big dance because they cant adjust to failry officiated games once they get to the tourney. I wonder who this years West virginia or VCU will be for those geeks from Durham.

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