AD/referee: Right calls, not bubbles, all that matter

Rick Hartzell knows what you're thinking.

By day, Hartzell is athletic director at Northern Iowa University, whose basketball team has been on the NCAA Tournament bubble for weeks. By night, he's a college basketball referee, mostly for the Big Ten -- which also has a handful of NCAA bubble teams.

Even Tuesday's winning coach, Bo Ryan, didn't always agree with Rick Hartzell (background) and Co. (AP)

Hartzell knows what you're thinking, because he has read your e-mails.

This week he worked Indiana's last-second loss at Wisconsin, a loss that could mean nothing -- or could cost Indiana an NCAA at-large bid. A handful of Indiana fans, who discovered his day job at UNI, did the math and showed it to Hartzell in the form of irate, accusatory e-mails.

Problem is, when they added two plus two, they came up with seven.

"I understand how fans are," Hartzell says. "I hear them every night. I understand how all that is. But it is so out of control for fans to think officials care who wins. We don't. I'm pretty naïve about it -- I try to do the very best job I can here (at Northern Iowa), and then I try to walk on the court and get the calls right. Lot of people say, 'What about this, you must think about that.' I'm not smart enough to do it. I just try to get calls right. Honest to God, it's that simple for me."

Hartzell knows all about conspiracy theories. Shoot, he jokingly has one himself. One time, when Northern Iowa visited Wichita State, Hartzell watched from the scorer's table -- like many athletic directors -- while some officiating friends worked the game.

"We got screwed," Hartzell says. "These guys are my friends -- three guys I know well, one I consider a close friend -- and we don't shoot a free throw until six minutes are left! But I know that when any official walks onto the court, he just wants to get plays right."

Conspiracy theory? Hartzell worked the infamous Clemson-North Carolina game in 1998 when the Tigers, who have never won in Chapel Hill, N.C., finished with four available players after being whistled for an ACC-record 41 fouls. Clemson coach Rick Barnes drew laughs when he took off his jacket to check into the game, but people weren't laughing for long.

Hartzell says, "I got more angry e-mails from Clemson fans ..."

Appearances matter. Hartzell knows. It's why he doesn't officiate Missouri Valley Conference games. Not because he or anyone in the league office thinks he would influence a game -- but to eliminate one more thing for people to worry about.

Having the AD of one bubble team officiating games for another bubble team is another potential worry, but here's the truth of the matter: The Big Ten is comfortable with Hartzell overseeing its bubble teams, and the Big Ten has plenty to lose, considering it earns revenue from every NCAA Tournament team it produces.

So does Conference USA, which has a handful of bubble teams (DePaul, Marquette, UAB, Houston) entering next week's league tournament -- which Hartzell will work.