CJ Moore, writing for The Athletic, did not like the officiating during the Illinois-Michigan State game.

I was disappointed when Jakucionis fouled out in only nine minutes of action against the Spartans. Illini coach Brad Underwood was in the same boat. “The best player in the game played eight minutes,” Underwood said at his postgame press conference. “You saw just a little bit of what he can do when he’s in. Just controlled the whole game with pick-and-rolls and passes. Unfortunately today, he didn’t get to play. … There hasn’t been one team in the country that has guarded him with any success. He’s a maestro. He is completely different than anybody else. You saw the little three-minute stretch he went on that he did play; every bucket was easy. He got a layup. He is that dude now. Don’t make any mistake. If he’s not the best point guard in the country, he’s very close and he’s 18 years old.”

As for the fouls: “I don’t know. I’ve got to look at the film.”

I did. And I don’t love commenting on the officials, but every single one was on the questionable side. (I have much more to say on the interpretation of the fifth foul, when Frankie Fidler jumped into Jakucionis to draw a whistle, but I’ll save that for a column down the road.) It’s a lot easier to slow down the film and critique, but it was frustrating officiating for anyone who just wanted to see the best players play in a great matchup. Luckily we get to see a rematch on Feb. 15. Fingers crossed no one fouls out.

I got in trouble in my house because I was yelling at the TV a bit too much. The Big Ten and maybe all of Division 1 basketball has got to be more consistent across the board.

Plenty of pundits, who had no skin in the game, commented on how obvious it was that Illinois had been hosed. It looked so bad that I actively wondered if the fix was in.

That’s got to change.