Virginia Tech HC Blasts Officiating vs. Pitt
PITTSBURGH -- Inconsistent officiating and star players in foul trouble were irritants for both sides during the Pitt Panthers' 79-64 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday.
Hokies head coach Mike Young, who was visibly appalled at certain points throughout the night, shared his frustration in dealing with the effects of the calls and stated that he doesn't believe it was fair for either him or Jeff Capel to work through.
“I’m dealing with it all night long," Young said. "I shouldn’t have to deal with that. Coach Capel shouldn’t have to deal with that. Your best players should be on the floor.”
A total of 41 fouls were handed out throughout the game, with 21 of them called on Pitt and 20 on Virginia Tech. The fallout was immense as both teams were forced to sit down several starters and key rotation players for extended periods of time, including during crucial moments.
Bub Carrington was the first of many who was impacted by this development as he was substituted out of the contest at the 16:41 mark of the first half after picking up two early fouls and would go on to play just under two more minutes the rest of the half.
Federiko Federiko, who recorded his third foul at the 19:40 mark of the second half, and Guillermo Diaz Graham, called for his fourth foul with 11:20 left in the game, both also had to proceed with caution down the stretch as to not further thin out Pitt's frontcourt and bench.
Sean Pedulla, Hunter Cattoor and Robbie Beran, each of whom started for Virginia Tech, were tagged with their third fouls early in the second half before Cattoor and Beran notched their fourth at the 13:34 and 13:17 mark, respectively. All three spent considerable time on the bench as a result, helping spark an 18-0 run for the Panthers that put the game out of reach.
When asked if he thought the officiating was too aggressive, Young sidestepped answering the question directly while still making his true feelings known.
"I didn't say that, you did," Young said. "You might be right."
Capel was also asked if he thought the number of calls was a bit overbearing, and much like Young he avoided providing a forthright answer.
"I don’t know," Capel said. "I don’t know, man. I’m not going to say anything about that. Those guys are terrific."
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