Pope is a fan of one challenge and fewer official reviews.
The Kentucky Wildcats have had several close games over the last few weeks. With Oklahoma coming to mind immediately, many games have come down to the wire.
Many times, these games are abruptly interrupted by a lengthy review of the play prior, often taking minutes to get back to action in a game that has just minutes left.
It hurts the momentum and the fan experience. Mark Pope was asked about that during his Monday radio show. Here’s his take, which feels correct and would really help those late-game situations.
“I wish we could have one (review),” said Pope. This is what I want: I want coaches to be able to have one opportunity for review. Because this is what that does…it takes the onus off the officials, and it says, ‘Did the coach use his review already? If he did, was it accurate? Does he get it back, or did he lose it?’
“It puts pressure on the coaches to have some discretion about when they review, and it frees up the referees where they don’t have to double-check themselves and cover themselves all the time.
“I want to have a flag. I want to be able to have a flag in my belt that I can throw out on the floor.”
The Cats have been one of the most competitive teams in the country this season. With games against Duke and many others that came down to the wire, this issue is one that has pressed them often this season.
Pope’s thought is mainly steered to take pressure off the officials and to keep the flow of the game. However, the counterargument is that these calls need to be correct, and any way to get the correct call is what should be taken.
There are a few ways to look at it, but Pope’s thinking certainly would make these late-game situations and the initial calls by the referees far more important than they are now.