Pac-12 to take a closer look at tournament officiating

Ed Rush may have resigned from his post as the head of officiating in the Pac-12, and commissioner Larry Scott may have determined his former employee’s offer of money or a vacation to any referee who gave Arizona coach Sean Miller a technical foul or ejected him from a game was done so “in jest.”

However, the story does not seem to be over just yet.

The Pac-12 announced Tuesday that Scott and Pac-12 CEO Group Chair Edward J. Ray have commissioned an independent review of the the dispute that arose in Las Vegas last March.

The “experts” who will conduct the review are independent of the Pac-12, and the results are expected to be ready in time for a June meeting.

Miller, you may recall, was given a technical foul with less than five minutes remaining in a close game against UCLA in a Pac-12 Tournament semifinal matchup. The Wildcats eventually lost by two points.

“After considering the matter, Commissioner Scott and I agree that an independent review is important to maintain the confidence of our members, and of the public, in the integrity of our competition,” President Ray said. “While the review will focus primarily on the tournament, we expect that it will inform a broader examination of our men’s basketball officiating and help us provide the best possible program.”

Scott added that nothing is more important to him or the league than maintaining the conference’s integrity.

“Given the conflicting media reports, it is important that we do whatever we can to understand all the facts, not only to resolve the questions about officiating during the tournament but also to learn lessons that will help us make changes and improvements to our overall program,” he said.

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