Today’s Referee Gerry Pollard is Higgins’ Close Friend

[Wildcat Sheli]

During today’s game (3/19/23 2nd Round of NCAA Tournament vs. Kansas State), this was observed:



In this article, the referee in question, Gerry Pollard, is described as a close friend of John Higgins.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...aa-tournament-experience-earnings/2866747001/
Here’s some excerpts,
“Pollard’s close friend, fellow NCAA veteran official John Higgins, sued Kentucky Sports Radio….
…Pollard has dealt with his share of incidents. Most of his stories, though, involve coaches.
In one game earlier in his career, he recalled a confrontation with then-Memphis coach John Calipari yelling obscenities at him….”

Interesting that he relayed this story complaining about Cal to the media and was still allowed to officiate a Cal-coached team.

Here’s Pollard’s record for UK games. Here’s the play-by-play. UK was up by 1 point with 2:39 to go.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Saved K State’s ass in the first half. They controlled the game first half. Should’ve been up 10 at half.

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Cal is not a well liked person. You have to ask why.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

The bigger question is why is Cal constantly alienating himself from all these refs?

He's making it hard for us to win in March because he keeps cussing these guys down one side and up the other.

There's "wearing the black hat", and then there's willfully putting your team in a bad spot because you keep pissing off the referee fraternity. At this point, we have about 12 names on a list of refs who hate Cal.

Why is that?

We keep ignoring the freaking elephant in the room.

 

[UKWildcatT]

Oh good lord. Stop

 

[wildcatglenn]

The bigger question is why is Cal constantly alienating himself from all these refs?

He's making it hard for us to win in March because he keeps cussing these guys down one side and up the other.

There's "wearing the black hat", and then there's willfully putting your team in a bad spot because you keep pissing off the referee fraternity. At this point, we have about 12 names on a list of refs who hate Cal.

Why is that?

We keep ignoring the freaking elephant in the room.

Why do these refs stink

 

[Kerry Kat]

Keep an eye on his bank account. $$$

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Pollard has been suspended for being a total idiot.

They made shots we didn't.

 

[ukwazoo]

All refs have a personal angle in almost every game. They're humans, and I'm willing to bet they all had a rooting interest before getting into the ref career.

 

[Pulaski Cat Fan]

Cal is not a well liked person. You have to ask why.

Hell, I don't like Cal either.

 

[bbncal02]

Figures. We sucked. But damn there’s always something.

 

[Catluv]

K cussed em up one side and down the other. Still got a lot of the calls.

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Hell, I don't like Cal either.

Same. What I mean is, if you’re not a very liked person sometimes you have to look inward and ask why.

 

[Pulaski Cat Fan]

Same. What I mean is, if you’re not a very liked person sometimes you have to look inward and ask why.

Exactly

 

[UKWildcatT]

Just a note on that Higgins game:j Everyone in the media called him on it, even Doug Gottleib, but for Christ sakes...shut up about it.

Kentucky was up late in that game and had them on the ropes, but typical Cow started playing tight and choked it away. It had zero to do with that referee. If it did, NC wouldve been up and running away, but Kentucky had the game won.

Quit listening to guys like Matt Jones and go rewatch that game. Watch after Kentucky got the lead and shouldve put them away.

 

[Seth_C]

All refs have a personal angle in almost every game. They're humans, and I'm willing to bet they all had a rooting interest before getting into the ref career.

Well then it sure is a bonus that our coach has made himself enemy #1 for the majority of them. It has served him well.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

Pushing and grabbing our players the whole game, only way they could compete. We get penalized for being bigger and stronger.

 

[K_TIME]

The bigger question is why is Cal constantly alienating himself from all these refs?

He's making it hard for us to win in March because he keeps cussing these guys down one side and up the other.

There's "wearing the black hat", and then there's willfully putting your team in a bad spot because you keep pissing off the referee fraternity. At this point, we have about 12 names on a list of refs who hate Cal.

Why is that?

We keep ignoring the freaking elephant in the room.

I don’t get the rationale

You think coach K doesn’t cuss a blue streak?
Jim Calhoun was pretty brutal on sideline
Have you ever sat behind pitino ?

I just don’t get why Cal is wrong for getting up into refs

 

[ukfan117]

Refs made bad calls. But, here is the real reason Kentucky lost.

18 turnovers, 11 in the first half alone. Oscar and Toppin kept making weak passes. Toppin and Reeves, our go to guys only scored 5 points together shooting 2 for 22 today. Reeves had his worst game and unfortunately, it had to be the game today.

 

[YardCat]

Cal is not a well liked person. You have to ask why.

Just ask BBN

 

[Catman100]

If it's not this ref it will be another one.

Cal is hated and will never win another title as long as referees are involved.

Another reason he should resign.

 

[ukypug]

Another reason why Cal needs to go. Get someone that the refs actually don’t hate!

 

[shaudyshaud]

**** Pollard and Higgins

 

[ukfan117]

To add insult to injury, why didn't they have Doug Shows to join them?

 

[Gromcat]

Cal is not a well liked person. You have to ask why.

Keep trying to say this. Why are people still surprised? Until he’s gone we will be shafted. He’s universally hated. Has anyone read his daughters tweets? She takes directly from his personality.

 

[ukfan117]

Keep trying to say this. Why are people still surprised? Until he’s gone we will be shafted. He’s universally hated. Has anyone read his daughters tweets? She takes directly from his personality.

What did his daughter say? Just curious..

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

What did his daughter say? Just curious..

Lol you know if you post here. She trashed UK fans regularly

 

[Gromcat]

What did his daughter say? Just curious..

Actually I think she’s shut her mouth (first time in her life) recently. He probably told her to shut it, it’s bad enough right now.

But for years her mouth just runs, and runs, and runs…..

 

[CapnBlubs]

Just a note on that Higgins game:j Everyone in the media called him on it, even Doug Gottleib, but for Christ sakes...shut up about it.

Kentucky was up late in that game and had them on the ropes, but typical Cow started playing tight and choked it away. It had zero to do with that referee. If it did, NC wouldve been up and running away, but Kentucky had the game won.

Quit listening to guys like Matt Jones and go rewatch that game. Watch after Kentucky got the lead and shouldve put them away.

Corruption is fine if we still had a chance to win. Got it. Screw that.

 

[ukfan117]

Lol you know if you post here. She trashed UK fans regularly

I honestly didn't know, that's why I asked. And it doesn't surprise me. Seems like the entire family is narcissistic as well.

I haven't seen or read any of her tweets because I don't use Twitter.

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

I honestly didn't know, that's why I asked. And it doesn't surprise me. Seems like the entire family is narcissistic as well.

I haven't seen or read any of her tweets because I don't use Twitter.

Rich ppl don’t usually associate themselves with the general population. They don’t care about you. You’re beneath them. Hence calipari attitude, funnily enough brad seems the most grounded

 

[ukfan117]

Brad seems alright, but girls with rich dad's are some of the most insufferable people. You're right about their attitude towards others. But, I see it like this, enjoy the lifestyle because when you die, you aren't taking it with you and you better hope you're in good hands with God because he says and I'm paraphrasing when he said the chances of a rich person inheriting the Kingdom of God is like a camel going through the eye of a needle.

 

[ralphdaltonfan]

Some bad calls today but nothing that influenced the game to the point Kentucky can blame them for a loss. That game was there to be won. Let's face it, of the teams remaining in the Sweet 16, Kentucky played:

Alabama and was routed

Arkansas and split

Tennessee and Swept (most shocking and pleasing outcome of the year)

Gonzaga and lost

Michigan State and lost in a game that I still feel set the negative tone for the entire year. Just pissed a game away with several moronic mistakes.

UCLA and lost in a game they couldn't make shots-like today

Kansas State--just saw the same outcome which was painful to live through

9 games against the Sweet 16 field and you go 3-6. That's not acceptable at Kentucky. Nor is it a team that was going to do anything other than what we witnessed. Sloppy. Poorly coached in fundamentals. Couldn't make shots. Odd subbing that gave up momentum and points. This season mercifully came to an end for a very mediocre team. Happy that they made the NCAA's as it brings more interest to me to have a team in the field but this ending was fitting way to describe the team's disappointing season.

 

[Wildcats1st]

Cals got all the refs against him

 

[ukfan117]

I know I might get some flak for saying it, but any other coach would have gone further with this team than Calipari did this year.

As much as I dislike what Calipari has done to our beloved program here, Mitch played a huge part in helping Kentucky deteriorate more and more as each season goes by.

 

[UKWildcatT]

Corruption is fine if we still had a chance to win. Got it. Screw that.

Naw, you’re busy listening to radio hosts and conspiracy theories to realize Cow choked the game away when he had the lead dude .

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I don’t get the rationale

You think coach K doesn’t cuss a blue streak?
Jim Calhoun was pretty brutal on sideline
Have you ever sat behind pitino ?

I just don’t get why Cal is wrong for getting up into refs

Simple answer: Cal doesn't stop.

K's the only one who comes close, and K received a pass for all the obvious reasons. Calhoun and Pitino are not even in the same league as Cal when it comes to literally swearing the refs up and down.

Why do you think they hate him so much? Because we're Kentucky? They didn't care about that when Tubby or BCG were here. Your rationale needs explaining as well.

 

[JimBR]

I thought the no call on Wallace's drive to the basket was the most costly when we were up one. It all went to S after that. It was clearly a foul.

 

[TriCountyCat]

The no call on the Wallace drive turned the game, then the shooting foul on a pass, even at the end of the game when we had no chance we tied up the ball in the corner 100% and they called a foul on us. It was Pollard shaking his head. He for sure screwed us but we lost because of turnovers, no defensive adjustments, and K state knocking 4 three pointers in our eye at the end of the game all the while we were brick city.