Or something like that. The study, authored by Kyle Anderson of Indiana University's business school and David Pierce of Ball State's sports administration program, turned up several examples of officiating bias:

* The probability of a foul being called on the visiting team was 7 percent higher than on the home team.
* When the home team is leading, the probability of the next foul being called on them is about 6.3 percentage points higher than when the home team is trailing.
* The larger the foul differential between two teams, the greater the likelihood that the next call will be made against the team with fewer fouls. For example, when a home team has three or more fouls than the visiting team, the probability that the next foul call is made against the visiting team is more than 60 percent. When the foul differential is as high as five, then that probability rises to 69 percent. The researchers also observed this trend when they looked at neutral-court games.

The authors go on to draw some weird conclusions — namely that referee bias offers an untoward incentive for "aggressive play," which is probably true but so what? And because this is the age of Gladwell, everything, even an otherwise compelling study about referee bias, has to be reduced to an insipid management-consulting parable. "In terms of a management setting," Anderson explains, "it might be the slacker who benefits from the situation involving a manager who might not want to appear biased." (What?)

But this is valuable work anyway, if only because it further corrodes the wishful notion that referees can operate on some sort of frictionless plane where the normal human weaknesses don't apply. Tim Donaghy was saying roughly the same thing, only with fewer footnotes.

Study looks at officiating in college basketball, finds patterns that reward aggressive play [IU News Room]

As you're probably well aware, the Red Hawks lost on a buzzer beater by uber-frosh John Wall, even though they led by as many as 18 points early in the game. Some might see that as a moral victory. Others, a terrible debacle. Those two viewpoints collided during the post-game press conference.

"I can't believe you asked that .... Let me see here, Kentucky Wildcats, number-four in the country, I'm hearing four first-round draft choices, and you're asking me how that got away from me? Why don't you ask John why it was so close? I'm not going to answer that question man.

The dressing down continued, but just enjoy it yourself. There's no coach quite like an angry, disrespected coach.

Charlie Coles Can Sometimes Get a Little Touchy [WKYT, via Brooks]

* * * * *

Well, I'm off to the Ranger game. Ovechkin's (hopefully) in town, so the locals might be interested in that. Barry P. is on deck. Enjoy the evening.

His Florida International team got blown out of Tulsa yesterday, losing 81-49 to the Golden Hurricane, its third double-digit loss in three games. But the story, as always, was Isiah. Midway through the second half, it seems, Thomas gestured testily toward Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik in what I assume was standard coaching semaphore for, "Pull your goddamn starters; a few more blowouts like this, and I'll never get that DePaul job." Minutes later, according to the Associated Press, he began yelling at Wojcik. Wojcik merely shrugged.

"It's a 40-minute game. If you want the truth of it, go back to the (North) Carolina game Monday night, when Carolina was pressing them with 3 minutes left," Wojcik said, referring to FIU's 88-72 loss at North Carolina. "I don't press, and I don't embarrass anybody. But it's a 40-minute game, and I'm in this game to get better.

"I've never seen anything like that. It was very bizarre."

If there's a better epitaph for Isiah Thomas' post-playing career, I've yet to hear it.

Tulsa's Doug Wojcik at odds with Florida International's Isiah Thomas [AP]

Starters Courtney Fortson (pictured) and Stefan Welsh are out indefinitely. Also suspended were Marcus Britt, Glenn Bryant and Nick Mason, each of whom attended a frat party in August where a freshman claimed she had been raped by three unnamed basketball players. (No charges were filed.) Let us now recall the Twittery words of Fortson, shortly after news of the rape investigation broke:

Im gettin it at workouts like a dude who doesnt understand the word no from a drunk girl lol

Today, he sounds chastened, like a man who's learned the hard way that rape is no LOLing matter.

There's always hardships u go through wit life but as long as u have control of yourself I'm sure u will find a way. C fortson

U will, Courtney. U will.

Arkansas will be down a man, or five [Searching for Billy Edelin]
Pelphrey suspends five players [ESPN]

* * * * *

Thanks for your continued support of Deadspin. Barry Petchesky will be around tonight to print some more lies.

Jimmy Tucker, better known to the rest of the country as "that guy with the beard who really likes Kansas athletics," has been a fixture on KU's quad since time immemorial, but students have noticed his recent absence.

Seems Tucker, 62, has repeatedly violated a restraining order taken out by his 23-year-old ex-fiancée, and was arrested last week for failing to show up for a court date.

That's not the only run-in with the law Tucker has had. He's scheduled to appear in court on a theft charge after stealing three books from the student library, and has yet another court appearance for a marijuana possession charge.

I wouldn't expect anything less from a man who named himself after a blunt.

‘White Owl' Held In Jail In Connection With Protective Order Case [Lawrence Journal-World]

I can't tell you what will happen on the court this year—other than that Michigan State will not win the Big Ten title—but it's fairly easy to guess what plotlines will be most attractive to us media vultures as fall turns into winter which turns into March which turns into you wasting a lot of money on bracket pools. Here are just a few stories you'll probably sick to death of by January (if you aren't already.)

The Isiah Experiment

The previously mentioned Thomas leads a terrible squad in a terrible conference, so naturally, you should expect to hear a lot about him. No team this bad will ever get more attention than Isiah's Panthers, who could lose by 50 at Carolina tonight and still consider it a moral victory. Look for him to orchestrate some sort of trade for Marcus Camby in early February.

The One and Dones

This could be year that finally pushes all the people lamenting the NBA age limit rules over the edge. If John Wall and Xavier Henry lead Kentucky and Kansas to the Final Four the way everyone expects them to—and then promptly bolt to the pros the way everyone knows they will—it might have even more people wondering why this charade continues to go on every year when these kids could just go to Europe and be easily forgotten about. I'll take my slow and stiff four-year seniors, thank you.

Yep, That's A One-Handed Basketball Player

This is Kevin Laue, 6-foot-11 center from Pleasanton, Calif., who is now a freshman on scholarship at Manhattan College. Also, he was born without the lower half of his left arm. (Hint to opposing centers: Try to make him put the ball on the floor.) [Photo via NY Daily News]

Marcus Jordan Sticking It To Adidas

Again, with the terrible small colleges in the middle of Florida? Marcus started his college career with a bang—by humiliating his program so that Nike could make .00089% more money next year. Thanks, Dad!

Just-in'love Smith, Guard, Siena Saints

Because why not?

Rick Pitino

Hey, remember when he fucked that woman in a restaurant, (allegedly) got her pregnant, bought her (temporary) silence, (probably?) convinced one of his assistants to marry her and then got all pissy when people pointed out that he shouldn't have done that? That's it. Just reminding you that happened so you can think about it anytime you see him on TV this season. (P.S. 9/11.)

Everything You Need to Know About the 2009-10 Season… [Rush The Court]
2009-10 Preseason 347 Countdown [Rivals]
65 things to watch during the 2009-10 season [FoxSports]

Kansas is No. 1 in the first college basketball poll and apparently first in insane full back tattoos. This isn't even the only outrageous Jayhawk-themed tattoo on this KU Sports page right now, as a commenter entered the fray with her own bleeding Kansas tribute. The things we do for the love of hoops.

Seriously, this young lass must really care about her Jayhawks to sit still long enough to have the Bayeux Tapestry of Midwest hoops painted on her shoulder blades. Unfortunately, she's out for the rest of the season after deciding to get that Danny Manning tattoo on her knee cap.

[Photo via KUsports.com]

* * * * *

There will be peace when Friday is done.

The Orlando Sentinel's Iliana Limon reports:

UCF promised Marcus Jordan, son of NBA legend Michael Jordan, that he could wear his father's Nike Air Jordan brand for the Knights' basketball team this season.

The problem? UCF has an exclusive $3 million, six-year contract with adidas that requires all coaches and athletes to use the company's shoes, apparel and game equipment.

And now UCF and adidas are at an impasse, leaving an 18-year-old freshman with a famous father caught in the middle.

"When I was being recruited, we talked about it," Marcus Jordan said. "They said they had talked to the adidas people, and it wasn't going to be a problem. I think everybody understands how big of a deal it is for my family."

The deal has strained the relationship between UCF and one of its most important business partners, complicating current contract-renewal negotiations. The university's agreement with the company expires in 2010.

So, on the one hand, you have the contractual obligations owed to a needlessly hard-assed, Nazi-founded global apparel company; on the other, the personal autonomy of a kid who is fighting for his right to hand over his autonomy to a different global apparel company, per the wishes of his world-famous sneaker-pimp daddy. The only honorable thing to do here, it would seem, is for Jordan the Younger to follow Dad's example and wrap his feet in the American flag.

Shoes of Michael Jordan's son may risk UCF adidas deal [Orlando Sentinel]

Here's the press release, from the school's interim athletic director, James Norris:

There have been continuing incidents of concern related to the men's basketball program that do not measure up to Binghamton University's high standards. After discussions with President Lois B. DeFleur and Vice President James Van Voorst, earlier today I placed Coach Kevin Broadus on paid leave of absence from his head coaching duties until further notice. Additionally, Coach Broadus has assured me of his cooperation with the upcoming athletic program audit being conducted by the Honorable Judith Kaye, retired.

Assistant Coach Mark Macon will assume the duties of head coach on an interim basis. He is an excellent coach and I have every confidence in his ability to provide strong leadership to the team. Our players have worked very hard in preparing for the upcoming season and I am looking forward to working with Mark in guiding the basketball program in a positive and successful direction.

So, in the past month alone, six players have been dismissed; an athletic director has resigned; and now the head coach has gone on leave, having nevertheless achieved his greatest goal. Binghamton looks every bit like a big-time Division I program now.

Broadus Placed on Paid Leave [The New York Times]

Here's a hint: Strippers. And cars and motorcycles and houses and guns and terribly ill-conceived real estate deals. Basically, any way that you can imagine a middling NBA player squandering his entire fortune, Robinson did it. He also managed to piss away hundreds of thousands of dollars in money that didn't earn, thanks to a shady bank officer who floated him and his friends over a million dollars in illegal loans. So where did it all go?

In August 2006, Community State Bank filed suit and found Robinson had spent the money on clothing and jewelry at upscale boutiques such as Louis Vuitton, Bodega, and the Royal Shop. He had bought steak dinners, plane tickets, and expensive hotel stays at a Jamaican Ritz-Carlton, the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and the Abbey Hotel in Miami Beach. He had blown nearly $800 on smokes at Coco Cigar in Coconut Grove, and even bought a $10,000 M16 machine gun at Miami Police Supply in Little Havana.

He also leased at least three luxury Mercedes and BMW vehicles, and bought new Ducati motorcycles. When he didn't pay those bills, creditors demanded the vehicles back. Since 2006, Robinson has also been sued in Miami-Dade Court for not paying the leases on two Mercedes and a 2005 Maserati Quattroporte.

He didn't drive those precious vehicles very carefully. He has racked up 18 moving violations in Miami-Dade County since 2001, including twice driving with a suspended license. Robinson spent $1,500 of the business loan cash at Traffic Ticket Guy, a Deerfield Beach law firm.

Obviously, he's been sued into oblivion, but it doesn't matter because he's completely broke. One friend put his predicament into stark relief.

"He pulled up in a brand-new Mercedes SL500. He asked me if I had $20 for gas. He took me to seven or eight strip clubs, starting with Tootsie's. He would buy a Coke and nurse it for an hour or two, and I didn't see him give a dollar to the dancers."

You know, I don't want to be the obnoxious MSU fan here and I'm not trying to gloat over the misfortune of an ex-Wolverine ... but okay. I am genuinely curious. What if he doesn't make those two free throws against Seton Hall? Is he still a first-round drat pick? Does he make the same amount of money? Attract the same friends? Even if he does make the NBA, did that moment and all that came with it make him less humble, more entitled, more greedy? Did it change his character at all? Or was he always going to be the guy who blew his paychecks on strip clubs he shouldn't be at and cars he couldn't afford?

Every so often an athlete has their life dramatically changed by one specific moment. Before that moment in the NCAA Championship was Robinson's fate avoidable? Or was there always going to be a day at some point in his life when he would have to explain to a lawyer at a deposition that his only worldly possession was an extra pair of pants?

How Hoops Hero Rumeal Robinson Lost His Guns, Cars, Stripper Girlfriend... and Even His Mama's House [Miami New Times]

Actually, the school says it was a "strategic reprioritization of resources across the university" that led to the loss of human development lecturer Sally Dear's job. Dear thinks it's more likely that the reason she was let go after 11 years is because she played a starring role in an embarrassing New York Times investigation of the program back in February. In that article, she claimed that three players had been a highly disruptive influence in her class and when she docked their grades over absences, basketball officials pressured her to accommodate them. Now she's laid off, but that's probably just a coincidence.

Want to hear another coincidence? Seven Binghamton basketball players majored in human development last year and the chairman of that department—who is Dear's boss, sets her class schedule, and presumably made the decision to terminate her contract—is a huge basketball fan! Dear claims "His attitude to me changed 100 percent as soon as the article came out." Weird, right? Also, he sort of looks like a lemur.

So many coincidences, it's spooky.

Binghamton Lecturer Critical of Athletic Department Is Dismissed [NY Times]

UPDATE: Binghamton Athletic Director Joel Thirer resigned this afternoon. [The Quad Blog/Rush The Court]

The school, which has a reputation for recruiting transfer cast-offs, is mum on the details of the five players' release, but head coach Kevin Brodas stated, "they are not toeing the line." Those who were cut—D.J. Rivera, Malik Alvin, Corey Chandler, Paul Crosby and David Fine—all have a history of academic and legal trouble. Alvin, for instance, stole condoms from a local Wal Mart and assaulted a 60 year old woman on his way out last October.

But the program's issues extend beyond the scapegoats who were recently released. In May, sophomore center Miladin Kovacevic (who is already gone) beat a fellow student into a coma during a bar brawl.

Binghamton's problems can be traced back to the hiring of Caoch Kevin Broadus, a former Georgetown assistant who made a name for himself by gambling on talented troublemakers. Throughout his recruiting history, Broadus has not been the best judge of character—although he'd beg to differ. He told the New York Times in February that his players had been "exceptional in the classroom" and that doling out second chances was part of his job. His example? Georgetown's acceptance of Allen Iverson:

Who knows how any of these kids are going to turn out? Look back at Georgetown. Allen Iverson has been a model citizen in America. He's taken care of his family and is playing well in the N.B.A. We're in the business of giving kids opportunities to better themselves in life. That's my job."

Obviously, anyone whose definition of a "model citizen" is Allen Iverson should immediately raise a red flag. It remains to be seen whether Broadus' job is in jeopardy, but the school isn't happy with the bad press, and clearly Broadus' recent hammer-dropping is a desperate attempt to clean up his increasingly visible reputation as a bad-boy coddler.

Binghamton Releases Five From Basketball Team [NY Times]

Binghamton releases five players [ESPN]