w w w w w - w Wensdy Api 1,213/O TeSatmn why. But then he finds a reason. "I think before the game starts, they expect werything to be perfect. And then I think they expect it to get better as the game goes along ... I think this is what frustrates them: we don't care who wins." 1989: Hillary's first chance to experience the thrill of officiating on the Final Four stage. As he took to the court in Seattle for the tipoff between the University of Michigan and Illi- nois, he wasn't nervous for his home-state team - a team he said he never liked, even though he resides in Grand Rapids, adding that he didn't like any Division I teams. He was nervous for himself. "There were 40,000 people in the dome, and I was standing there and my legs were shaking so badly, I couldn't stop them from shaking," Hillary said. Based on the banners hanging in Crisler Center, it was Michigan's last Final Four visit before this year. Michigan reached the stage ix 1992 and 1993, but the University vacated the wins after the Fab Five controversy. It was that Final Four game in 1989 that led Michi- gan to the National Championship, and their first and only NCAA title win. But to Hillary, it was his first of three Final Four visits. "I never worked a National Championship game, but if you were an official, that is your goal: to go to the Final Four." In our conversation, he didn't mention Michigan's win or their progression to the National Championship, where they beat ton Hall. I searched for YouTube clips from the game, hoping to see Hillary on the sidelines. But the highlights didn't include any close-ups of Hillary's shaking legs. I saw then-forward Glen Rice and the short shorts Michigan wore in the pre-Fab Five days. I thought I spotted a younger version of today's gray-haired, slightly balding Hillary standing under the hoop when Michigan took the lead with three minutes left in the game. The game was tied at 81, with 28 seconds left. Michi- gan had the ball. Rumeal Robinson missed the 3-pointer, but Sean Higgins found the ebound and layup, solidifying the 83-81 win or Michigan and creating a memory for all Michigan fans. Even then, we were on. But Hillary's tone conveyed no devotion to Michigan. I asked if he felt hesitant officiating that game, since he resides in the state. 0 "I never had a team that I liked, and I think it's because I went to a Division II school. When I got to work with Division I schools, I just never cared who won the game. But you have to live someplace." Hillary worked as a high-school teacher as well as an official for the first 26 years of his referee career. Initially, he wanted to work as a basketball coach ifa job opened up, but a friend encouraged him to become an official. "What possessed me to forget about coach- ing and going into refereeing, I would say, was the excitement of the game," Hillary said. "I didn't have to take any losses either, that was kind of nice." Orchestrating the officials in the NCAA Tournament is John Adams, the NCAA national coordinator of men's basketball offi- ciating and the voice of the officials during the tournament. "Fairness" is what he defends when speaking on behalf of the hand-select- ed officials working the NCAA Tournament, officials he deems as the 100 best referees in Division I. As he drove across Ohio through an area he deemed "sparsely settled," Adams called me on speakerphone with a NCAA spokesper- son silent in the background, listening in from Indianapolis. Selection Sunday was only two days away. One-hundred officials are selected to work March Madness from a list of recommenda- tions given by each conference and Adams's team. On March 17, Selection Sunday this year, 68 college teams solidified their spot in the NCAA Tournament and so did 100 offi- cials. You could make a bracket just for the offi- cials. The NCAA evaluates the officials during the tournament. If they perform well, they move on to the next round. This means the nine officials who work the Final Four games and the National Championship are the best of the best - an honorable spot Division I offi- cials dream of holding, but also acknowledged as a risk to their careers. "You're on the only game being played that night, and now you're on a call that deter- mines the game, and you're at risk of everyone watching that play and.seeingyou make a mis- take," Adams said. And when that call happens, Adams often has to discuss it, recognizing if the officials were right or wrong after the game concludes. "I think the officiating is fairly similar as it was 10 years ago, but the media scrutiny is incredibly heightened over just the shortest time of five years ago," Adams said. Today's advanced production of sporting events creates YouTube clips as evidence for fans arguing a call. With often seven to eight camera angles at one NCAA Tournament game - and the ability for commentators to zoom and slow down the action to sloth speeds - the eyes of the officials aren't the only eyes focused on examining the court. "None of our officials are refereeing the games on the television in slow motion. They are doing it in the arena in real time, and that is really, really hard," Adams said. Take the National Championship matchup between Michigan and Louisville. A foul was called on sophomore guard Trey Burke with 5:10 left in the game. But was it a foul, or a clean block? Officials said foul, giving Louis- ville's Peyton Siva free throws to stretch the lead to five. But according to Rodger Sherman with SB Nation, it was a block, prompting his article, "Final Four 2013: Did bad referee- ing give Louisville its title?" And other news outlets have joined suit, NBC News declaring "Poor officiating puts a black eye on a thrill- ing, memorable Final Four." And it's prompted many students to make the still image from the game --what they consider Burke careful- ly blocking and not fouling Siva at the hoop - their cover photo on Facebook in protest. Did that one call change the game? Adams has yet to comment publicly on the incident. Adams said looking past the scrutiny, the instant reaction to calls made by officials does make the job rewarding. "Most officials tell you, when they're fin- ished, they miss the games. It's reallythrilling to be out there refereeing a basketball game in front of a big crowd and ... it's instant rein- forcement." But 2,500 games later, Hillary sounds tired. Tired of the travel during the season, which he described as "brutal." During the regular sea- son, he could be on the road for 15 to 16 days in a row with only a one-day break in between trips, all which required his own planning. "You get up in the morning at 6 a.m., get on a flight probably connecting someplace, and you go to another town," Hillary said of his work routine. "There's quite a bit of loneli- ness out there, butyou call back home, and you tell them everything's OK and talk with them. That's one of the tough parts of the'game - they couldn't pay you enough money for that part." Hillary also seems tired of the game of bas- ketball itself, adding he will turn on games just to see if he knows the referees. If he knows them, he will only watch briefly. "Certainly I'll watch some of the NCAA Tournament, but to watch a whole game? That would probably take a lot out of me. I don't know if I'd do that." In this year's tournament, it was Driscoll's turn to try and reach the Final Four stage for the fourth time. Driscoll made it to the Sweet Sixteen, officiating the Michigan State versus Duke game in Indianapolis. I watched the game to see Driscoll. As Driscoll races up and down the side- lines, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski watches closely. It's a bigger stage, but his unwavering gait and quick pace mirrors his officiating in the Big East Tournament. With the camera held tightly to the Blue Devils and Spartans, Driscoll is often lost in the frame of the shot, disappearing as the teams move down the court and reappearing at the bottom of the key in quick time. He's never in focus. In our interview, Iasked Driscoll if he filled out a March Madness bracket, hoping to catch him in a moment of fandom. His answer was a quick "No." "When you become an official, you need to understand what you have signed up for and what you're getting involved in, and with that comes walking that fine line and making sure you're fair, and balanced and consistent," he said. I asked if it was difficult to surrender his fandom. "It wasn't difficult because this is what I chose to do." Any devout Michigan basketball fan has seen Driscoll six times this season. You've probably yelled at him on your screen, maybe including expletives. And you've probably questioned his judgment, or given him praise, for calling traveling on the oppo- nent. But you've seen him, whether you rec- ognize it or not. outtakes photo by teresa mathew/daily on the record "Hail yes! Kate Upton tweeted Spike!" - Facebook user Heather Andrews Healy Submit your own photo caption on The Michigan Daily's Facebook page for next week's outtake. "I would have loved to win the game last night, butI couldn't be more proud of these guys sitting next to me." - NIK STAUSKAS,Michigan basketballfreshman guard, on the team's journey in the NCAA Tournament. "I survived ... I had Michigan; I had friends and family who loved me no matter who I was. But not all kids get to be at the University of Michigan." - CHRIS ARMSTRONG, University alum, in his TEDtalk about bullying at TEDxUofM. "I came and never left ... I bleed maize and blue. I absolutely love this place." - SHELLEY SHREIER,psychology lecturer and thisyear's Golden Apple winner, about her feelings towards the University. Freshman guard Spike Albrecht's first tweet after the season? To swimsuit model Kate Upton, who attended the National Championship game in Atlanta:"@ KateUpton hey saw you at the game last night, - thanks for coming out! Hope to see you again;)" #heison p=N Kim Kardashian's first flame Ray J - co-star of her infamous sex tape - came out with a new song literally called, "I Hit It First." Chorus: "I hit it, I hit it, I hit it, I hit it, I hit it, I hit it first." We get it, Ray J. A University Engineering video is circulating post-April Fool's day, showing a scientist teleporting a key in his lab. Curse you, Prof. Xavier Vlad - if you exist - for being so convincing with your white lab coat! F Accordingto the Federal Reserve, $t trillion in student loan debt is shared between 37-million Americans. That's trillion. It surpasses both auto loans and credit card debt. If only the world made a scholarship for that.