Bayno sees decision on replay as big positive

Steve Addy

Thursday, Jan. 27, 2000 | 9:40 a.m.

There isn't a long, chummy history between UNLV basketball and the NCAA, but Rebels coach Bill Bayno is brimming with praise for the NCAA's newest ruling.

Bayno said Wednesday he fully supports the NCAA's decision to allow referees to use TV instant replay to determine whether a last-second shot beat the buzzer.

Referees have long been prohibited from consulting TV monitors, but the NCAA men's and women's basketball committees will let them do so starting Friday -- a rare midseason rules addition.

"I think it's great," Bayno said. "There's too much at stake to not give the referees every opportunity to get it right. It's a good decision."

The emergency expansion of referees' authority is a direct result of two recent games in which apparently incorrect calls were made on last-second shots, giving wins to Texas A&M and Miami.

On Jan. 15, a putback after the buzzer was ruled good, giving Texas A&M an 88-86 victory over Texas Tech. The Big 12 suspended the referee who made the call because he reviewed the play on the courtside monitor, exceeding his authority at the time.

Two days later, a 3-pointer by Miami's Johnny Hemsley handed the Hurricanes a 67-66 victory at Villanova, but replays later showed that the shot came after the buzzer.

The NCAA sprang into action, deciding to study the matter as quickly as possible. A conference call among the rules committees Monday and Tuesday yielded the change.

In Bayno's 4 1/2 seasons at UNLV, the Rebels haven't had a game that hinged on a shot that was close enough to be reviewed by replay, he said.

There might be some unresolved glitches in the rule change. For instance, not all games are on television, making replays unavailable. Also, reviewing a call at courtside could be especially nettlesome if the fans have streamed on to the floor, as they often do in last-second wins.

"You just clear the court, go to the monitor and make the decision," Bayno said. "That isn't a big problem, I don't think."