Message to the MEAC: Let Them Play!!

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Just a few nights ago the Florida A&M Lady Rattlers visited and defeated the Tennessee State Lady Tigers. Beside the significance of old rivalries playing for the first time in years this game looked a lot like a MEAC game, but not in a good way.

Hopefully, it will not be an indicator of things to come. Having raised the level of media exposure, quality of coaching and recruiting in the league, the MEAC has made lady basketball well worth watching if the referees will let them play.

Basketball is a physical game. When you play some of the better teams during the non conference schedule you either learn to play physical or you’re not going to be competitive, which brings me to the Tennessee State versus FAMU game. It started out physical and you could tell that at least FAMU was a bit low on energy not doing their usual good job on the boards. Even without the normal high level of play there were few penalties in the first half.

The second half, however, more than made up for it. All of a sudden one particular referee—and these are Ohio Valley Conference refs—must have felt he wasn’t getting his quota and he began calling touch fouls. The game slowed and quality of play began to resemble high school competition.

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