Gurth- That wasn't Dickie V.
Exile and Jim- I am a basketball ref, and since becoming one a few years ago I've definitely eased back on my hounding of the refs. That's mainly because I've learned all the intricate rules, positioning, and all the little things that you don't know about unless you're actually a ref.
Essentially every game is the same but every game is also different. You have all your baseline fouls that you'll call no matter what, but then you have your fouls that you're going to call depending on the type of game. If both teams are passive, you'll probably call even limited contact so the game keeps its flow. If both teams come out and are very physical, now you have to decide if it was hard enough to affect the play or if there's no need for a whistle because they played through it. Some games you feel you're just there to make sure a fight doesn't break out, other games you almost have to use your calls to manipulate the game to get a set of standards down to make it flow.
What happened tonight, I don't even know. I only saw the last ten minutes but that was incredibly poor. I generally look at the waist down when a man is dribbling on the sideline, because that way you get to see any body contact for a blocking foul, or the legs if someone steps out. How a D1 official misses that from five feet away I have no idea. On the review, I also have no idea besides maybe they need a bigger monitor.
One thing to remember though, if you believe in sports karma, and I've been keeping pretty close eyes on it after the Cowboys/Packers game in the cursed NFC playoffs, Wisconsin had four points they shouldn't have had against Kentucky. One shot in the first half when a man didn't establish himself back inbounds, and then the missed shot clock violation. Tonight both those missed calls resulted in four points for Duke.
