I'd have to rewatch it to see when, but sometime in the late first half the refs really tightened things up. For what seems like the first 1/2 or 2/3 of the first half, the game was so fun to watch. Even when Alabama was making everything, the flow was beautiful. Both teams looked great. It was super entertaining. The refs were letting them play and not calling much at all. I loved it.

Then...at some point, things changed...ESPECIALLY in the 2nd half. Tony Padilla, obviously, was offender #1, but the whole ref squad seemed to make a conscious decision to bring in the reigns. Lots of weak fouls on both teams. Cougs obviously got a bunch of those called against them early. Flow of the game changed completely.

I realize that the style of both teams also changed after halftime as they changed strategies, but it seemed like more than that. I wonder if that was something they discussed or it just naturally happened.