How the secret work of college judges is affecting Kentucky basketball and what it means “behind the whistle.”

Referees for college basketball games have very busy schedules that test their mental and physical strength. To be honest, it’s having an effect on games, even Kentucky basketball games.

The best referees can work up to 80 games a season, and they often have to drive long distances in short amounts of time. As an example, Roger Ayers recently worked 31 days in a row and traveled over 26,000 miles through 15 states just for work. This constant speed makes me wonder how well people can do in those kinds of situations.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has done studies that show not getting enough sleep makes it much harder to respond and make good decisions. This could mean that refs miss calls or, even worse, call games inconsistently, which can have a big effect on close games.

One study from the NIH found that people who don’t get enough sleep are at least 11% less reliable and up to 30% slower when they have to make quick decisions. Since referees are on the road up to 90% of the time, it’s possible that they’re not at their best. If they didn’t get enough sleep, that means they miss at least 10% of calls. Men and women who play high-stakes games often lose or win games based on these small calls:

Referees in the NCAA go through a lot of training to keep their standards high. This includes fitness tests and rule checks. During the off-season, there are workshops and symposiums that show what should and shouldn’t be done. But not having a regular routine and enough time to rest can make even the most experienced officials less effective. Then why do that? Like a lot of people, money.

Referees are paid well. According to a source from Mitch Gilfillan, they make between $3,500 and $4,000 per game, and some are said to make $100,000 a month if they can handle the work. For now, though, the damage to their bodies and brains might not be able to be fixed. In the short run, it could cost teams games.

This problem has become more important to Kentucky since they lost to Clemson. Sometimes calls or lack of calls can change the flow of play, as Kentucky did in the second half as they made runs to close the gap.

You could see how rough Clemson played because they only got called for 15 fouls while Kentucky got 20. In either half, they didn’t even get to the double bonus. That’s just not possible with the game. Mark Pope, the head coach, has said many times that he doesn’t think judges should decide games because he wants his players to feel like they are in charge no matter what. But it needs to be brought up at some point.

The best answer that could be found? Supporters want to limit the number of games officials have to work and require breaks. Using examples from other fields, like flight, where pilots have to follow strict rules about their duty hours, could help create a plan. Paying for more full-time judges might also help travel refs do their jobs better.

For now, Kentucky fans and players must deal with the uncertain nature of college basketball referees in the same way that everyone else. Taking care of tired referees could make things more fair and make the experience better for everyone.