We have played 11 games against the SEC since 2021. I’m always complaining about the ridiculous ref bias we face almost every time we play the SEC, so I thought I’d see how bad it actually is.
In 11 games, we have taken 204 free throws (18.5 per game).
In 11 games, our opponents have taken 329 (30 per game).
In those 11 games, we have taken more free throws than our opponents 1 time, an enormous +3 advantage against Auburn last season. In the other 10 games, our opponent has had a +8, +15, +14, +7, +10, +12, +16, +7, +18, and +21 advantage. When you consider we have lost 6 games by 22 combined points, these advantages are even more massive.
What makes this even worse is that these SEC teams are all similarly physical and prone to fouling as we are. Alabama, for instance, has averaged 0.27 fouls per possession in the last 5 years (over which we have played them 3 times), and we have averaged… 0.27 fouls per possession. Alabama has given its opponents 0.31 free throw attempts per possession, while we have averaged… 0.30. Fewer! And yet in our 3 games they have taken 30 more free throws than we have. What makes it even worse is that we have taken as many or even more 2-pointers than our SEC opponents in most of these games.
Now, I do think our style of play affects this a little-- our guards have generally tended to try and avoid contact a little more than SEC guards who are generally foul-hunters and our bigs often toss up floaters instead of taking it strong to the hoop, but that definitely isn’t the entire story. If you have watched these games, it’s painfully, infuriatingly obvious that the refs are flat out refereeing things differently depending on which team has the ball. We get called for every touch foul, every 50/50 ball goes the SEC team’s way (especially in the 2nd half), meanwhile our guards and bigs can’t buy a foul down low. Also how many goal-tend calls have been blown in these games? Feels like nearly 1 a game.
Anyway, we didn’t play particularly well yesterday so don’t take this as excuse-making, it’s just been an irritating trend I have noticed and wanted to analyze for myself and thought you all might find it interesting.
Some random notes:
We are 5-6 in these games. In our 6 losses, only Terry Oglesby has reffed more than once. And the only two times we have shot fewer than 10 free throws, Doug Sirmons was part of the crew-- 8 against A&M and 4(!!) against Tennessee last season-- we are down 63 to 26 in the 3 games Sirmons has reffed with an SEC opponent (adding the Florida game.)
At this point, if we have an SEC opponent, I almost don’t even want to watch since I know we are going to be playing 5 on 8, especially in the 2nd halves (I might check to see how much more egregious the free throw numbers are only in the 2nd half if I get bored later-- I’m almost certain it’s even worse. For instance, Auburn got a 20 to 2 advantage in the 2nd half this season, and I’ve noted similar happening in multiple games against the SEC.)
