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One of the officials in BYU's game at San Diego State Saturday night has found himself in the middle of a big mess in the Big Sky. Longtime MWC official Eric Curry has worked four BYU games this season (three wins and the loss at SDSU). Of the four BYU games, Curry has been the referee (lead official) twice and an umpire twice. The story is as follows:
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"HELENA, Mont. -- The Big Sky Conference suspended three officials for their incorrect ruling in the Montana-Idaho State last weekend, commissioner Doug Fullerton said Monday.
Eric Curry, Bob Scofield and Scott Harris will be suspended for one game each.
In Sunday game at Pocatello, Idaho, the score was tied at 58 in the final second when a Montana player called for a timeout after securing a rebound.
According to a statement from the conference, television replays confirmed the timeout was recognized by the officials before the final horn.
The statement said Montana had used its allotment of timeouts and should have been called for a technical foul, awarding Idaho State two free-throw attempts with time still on the clock. After the technical foul shots, Montana should have taken possession, the statement said.
Instead, the officials ruled that the timeout was recognized simultaneously with the final horn.
Curry, the head official, made the incorrect call, said Jon Kasper, director of media relations for the Big Sky. However, the game was televised, so all three officials had the option to use replay to determine how much time remained when the timeout was recognized.
They chose not to review the play, and Montana went on to win the game 73-62 in overtime.
"We give officials great flexibility to interpret plays within the rules," Fullerton said. "We never allow officials to set aside a rule. We're not sure whether the game would have ended on the free throw line, but Idaho State should have been given that opportunity."
Reached at his office in Minneapolis on Monday, Curry declined to comment.
The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee does not recognize or allow protests, so the outcome of the game will not change, the statement said."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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"March Madness Tea Leaves":
1) Every team that has won outright or shared the regular season Mountain West Conference crown with only one other team has gone on to play in the NCAA Tournament.
2) Every time BYU has been a 1 or a 2 seed in the MWC Tournament, the Cougars have played in the NCAA Tournament.
3) Every BYU team to win at least 21 regular season games (prior to a conference tournament) has played in the NCAA Tournament.
4) Since 1969, only one BYU team has won outright or shared a regular season conference crown and not played in the NCAA Tournament (the 1982-83 team tied for the WAC title, but had a 15-14 record overall).
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If BYU goes on to win the regular season championship outright, the Cougars will be the first team to win two outright titles in the history of the MWC, not to mention the first team to win outright crowns back-to-back.
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New Mexico hopes to join BYU in the Big Dance. The Lobos are a popular team these days, and mentions like this one in ESPN.com's "Forde Minutes" column are common:
"New Mexico: A six-game winning streak has pushed the Lobos into the RPI top 50. A split of their next two games against BYU and UNLV could do enough to earn a bid. A sweep could lock it up. Being swept might mean a ticket to the NIT."
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The Lobos are the #1 three-point percentage team in the country. UNM is also in the top 25 in assist/turnover ratio, scoring margin, and assists per game. BYU is in the top 25 in field goal percentage defense, assists per game, and rebound margin.
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