After Duke's 92-71 victory over Miami Feb. 19, Miami head coach Frank Haith said there were two major reasons the Hurricanes lost-the discrepancy in three-pointers and the difference in free throw shots attempted.
The Blue Devils were an efficient 29-for-33 from the charity stripe during the game, while Miami attempted just 16 free throws.
Although Haith credited some of the disparity to the Blue Devils' aggressive play, he also hinted at a possible officiating bias, something opponents have been murmuring about all season.
"There were just a couple plays there where I felt like they were not good plays by the officials," said Haith, who was given a technical in the first half for complaining about the officiating. "They're going to miss some calls, but I felt like there were a couple that were questionable."
Duke has heard similar complaints about the referees after wins against Boston College and Florida State earlier this month.
At the center of much of the debate has been senior Shelden Williams, who is averaging 3.8 blocks per game, while fouling out of just one contest this year. In the final seconds of Duke's game against the Eagles Feb. 1, Williams came in contact with Tyrese Rice, but the referees made no call.
"Every player has the right to go up and down," Williams said. "Somebody who really knows about the game, they would know what the rules are, like that situation at Boston College. Every player is entitled to their own space when they jump up and down."
Williams, the reigning National Defensive Player of the Year, has increased his block and steal averages this season, while his counterpart, freshman big man Josh McRoberts, has adjusted to playing defense in college.
Williams' intimidating presence in the lane forces many opponents to attempt floaters over his outstretched arms, rather than taking the ball all the way to the basket. By pulling up, these players often fail to draw the contact that would send them to the line.
"The thing that Shelden does too is it's not just the shots he blocks, it's the shots he changes," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "People get distracted because they know he's there so even if he doesn't get a hand on a shot, he makes a presence on just about every play."
Although opposing big men have put up some impressive statistics against the Blue Devils, Williams said Indiana's Marco Killingsworth was the only one who consistently beat him one-on-one. Against other opponents, he has been forced to help out defensively on the weak side, which has led to uncontested layups.
"Shelden does for us on the defensive end what J.J. does for us on the offensive end," Krzyzewski said. "He's been our anchor and in doing that he scores a lot for us also. He's been the stalwart on defense."
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