NCAA Basketball: WVU V PITT Rule Q?

[jtgain]

Okay, tonight, Pitt missed a foul shot and was called on a rebound foul. Since they were over the limit, the WVU shooter hit both parts of his one on one and WVU gets two points, right?

Well, not so fast. The officials review and decide that Pitt fouled a DIFFERENT player. Take two points off of the board and put the other player on the line. HE misses the first half of the one on one and no points for WVU.

Is this the rule? I'm sure it is, but WTF kind of rule is it? Shouldn't the review period be over before a player shoots his free throws? Could they have played five more minutes and then reviewed?

[Mullinator]

It would have been uncorrectable as soon as the ball became live and in play - say if the initial incorrect shooter had missed his first shot. Once the rebound came off and the clock started, they couldn't have fixed the problem.

[Freddy the Pig]

Originally Posted by Mullinator

Once the rebound came off and the clock started, they couldn't have fixed the problem.

Not true--"correctable errors" (of which the wrong player attempting a free throw is one) may be corrected at any time up through and including the first dead ball following the error. So the ball has to become live twice before matters are final.

[jtgain]

Like I said, I'm sure it is the correct rule, but it's a bad one. You hand the ball to the guy to shoot foul shots and he makes them both. Why punish a team because the officials put the wrong guy on the line?

But why stop there. Instead of making the shot, what if the incorrect player missed his first shot hard off of the front of the rim leading to a break away layup for the other team. Should the officials take 2 points away from that team since the incorrect player's poor shot led to the score?

[Freddy the Pig]

Originally Posted by jtgain

But why stop there. Instead of making the shot, what if the incorrect player missed his first shot hard off of the front of the rim leading to a break away layup for the other team. Should the officials take 2 points away from that team since the incorrect player's poor shot led to the score?

Don't know whether they should or not, but they don't. If the error is caught after play resumes, intervening action counts.

As for the logic behind this being a "correctable error", I think they want to discourage the wrong player from strolling to the line. The refs usually concentrate on who committed the foul, and don't want to have to police the free throw shooter. This makes it kind of self-enforcing--if a player knows he wasn't fouled, there's risk in trying to cadge somebody else's free throws, because if you get caught they can take points off the board.