Game #54 - #22 Virginia @ Clemson - February 14, 2012

Game #54 - #22 Virginia @ Clemson - Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Line - Clemson -1

Result - Clemson wins 60-48 and covers the spread

It's been a while since ITGOTT has had the time to watch, with a discerning eye, a game officiated by Tony Greene. This was Tony Greene's unbelievable 54th Division 1 game worked this season. Tonight Tony Greene, working along with Joe Lindsay and Ed Corbett, made an appearance in Clemson, SC, and the Virginia Cavaliers paid a visit. Clemson entered the game as a 1-point favorite.

Make the Big Call When It Matters

Use Calls (And Non-Calls) To Change The Momentum In Favor Of The Team You Are Helping

And there it was, with 7 1/2 minutes to go in the game - one of the worst and most obvious no-calls you will see this season. Of course, it was Tony Greene failing to make the obvious and important call.

Clemson, clinging to a hard-earned but scant 3-point lead, was defending the Virginia Cavaliers as the Hoos tried to score and cut the lead to one - exactly on the cut line. In a game marked by FEW foul calls and even fewer free throws (at this point in the game, the Cavaliers had shot literally ZERO free throws), Tony Greene eschewed calling an obvious Clemson foul on Devin Booker under the Virginia basket, and naturally Virginia coach Tony Bennett was IRATE as the game went to the under-8 minute TV timeout.

After the TV timeout, ESPNU commentator Jay Williams actually called Tony Greene out by name for missing the obvious call, which was so clear on replay as there was no disputing that Devin Booker raked his arm across his opponent. Sure enough, on the VERY next play following the TV timeout, Devin Booker scores and is fouled to push Clemson's lead to 7 with 6 minutes to play.

After that egregious no-call by Tony Greene, the momentum was clearly in Clemson's hands based on that one play - an obvious missed call by Tony Greene - and soon Clemson's lead was 50-41 and Virginia was forced to call a timeout to stop the momentum. A few desperation fouls at the end were unable to make a difference, as Clemson won 60-48 and easily covered the 1-point spread.

It should be noted that Clemson was only called for four fouls the ENTIRE second half. Amazing.

It is very rare for an announcer - especially an ESPN announcer - to call out poor officiating by name. Yet here was Jay Williams, totally unafraid to call out Tony Greene while a replay of the obvious foul Tony Greene chose not to call was shown. Jay knew that visual evidence showed Tony Greene failing to call one of the most obvious calls an official will ever see.

When an official make a single terrible call that changes the momentum in a close game, and aids one team to cruise to a spread-covering victory - and when the call is SO bad and SO momentum-changing that even ESPNU's Jay Williams calls the official out by name - it's safe to ask...

Is Tony Greene "on the take"?