Report: Big 12 Grading Basketball Refs for First Time Ever

Big 12 basketball officials are being graded for the first time ever, which started this season, sources told Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. This emerged after Baylor HC Scott Drew’s ejection on Saturday vs. Iowa State, where Drew left the coach’s box.

MORE: Scott Drew’s controversial ejection also carries a backstory. CBS Sports obtained the recent Big 12 memo detailing how refs should be handling misbehaving coaches. Sources say this is the FIRST season the Big 12 is finally grading its refs.

Story: https://t.co/NMtPSWXENw

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 6, 2024

Norlander and CBS obtained a memo sent from the Big 12 to the officials and coaches, that talks about bench decorum. Coaches coming out on the floor and seemingly in play has been an issue in college basketball for a while but has increased this season. Some coaches like Shaka Smart and Archie Miller have been caught almost defending opposing players on the floor while coaching.

Shaka Smart out there playing the best defense on the floor
pic.twitter.com/ZZHfIiDuCR

— Mark Titus Show (@MarkTitusShow) December 30, 2023

Drew was outside of the coach’s box, which resulted in his ejection during the second half. Baylor AD Mack Rhoades was fined $25,000 by the Big 12 after criticizing the officiating after the game.

Players, coaches and fans have questioned officiating for years. The biggest complaint people have with Big 12 officials specifically is their calls change the flow of the game and ruin the rhythm.

Most recently, the NCAA changed the block-charge rule, which has been one of the inconsistent calls within the game.

“It’s going to be drastically different. What I’ve told our coaches is, and what I want the media to understand, we watched 100 plays from last year that were called charges. 96 are now blocks under the new rule,” Big 12 coordinator of officials Curtis Shaw said in October. “It’s almost impossible to take a legal charge anymore. Not impossible but almost.”