By TERRY HUTCHENS
The Indianapolis Star

The attempt to minimize physical play in college basketball is being thwarted by inconsistent officiating, according to several Big Ten coaches.

For the past four seasons, the NCAA has sent out a directive to its officials regarding "the elimination of rough play and illegal contact" in the post.

"You'll have conversations during the game with an official and you'll say to a guy, 'That's a foul,' and the response will be, 'I'm not calling that touch foul,' " Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien said. "That's where the inconsistency is. You can get a different crew that will call all the touches, and clean it up the way the NCAA wants you to, and then you'll have real experienced officials who officiate in all the big leagues in the country who are not going to call anything."

O'Brien has seen it all. Three times in Big Ten play, his team has been called for 23 or more fouls. Two times, it has been called for 13 or fewer. "I don't care how they call it, as long as they're consistent one way or the other," he said.

O'Brien isn't alone in his frustration. Nearly every Big Ten coach has broached the topic during the past two months.

Iowa played a game this season with Ohio State in which 52 fouls were called. On Feb. 8, the Hawkeyes played Michigan in a game in which the foul disparity was 20-10 in favor of Iowa.

"Our game with Michigan was the first time in my 12-year coaching career that we never reached the bonus in either half," said Iowa coach Steve Alford.

One way of gauging the issue of rough play is the number of fouls called in Big Ten play. In the first 54 conference games, an average of 38.9 fouls have been called.

But there have been extremes in both directions.

Michigan State and Minnesota had a game in which 57 fouls were called. Indiana and Northwestern had one with 24.

Some officials call more fouls than others, although each works as part of a three-man crew.

Big Ten supervisor of officials Rich Falk said the number of fouls is not an accurate barometer regarding the issue of rough play. Nor does it always tell the whole story regarding officials.

Prior to the season, Falk sent a videotape to all the Big Ten coaches showing examples of the way rough play would be called.

"Players and coaches are expected to adjust to the way officials are administering the game," Falk said. "Now, are some officials calling it perhaps a little bit more closely than others? There's some truth to that. But we remind officials when they are going to one extreme or the other. There's an accepted standard that we're all supposed to be meeting. The bottom line is it's a work in progress."

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said he has mixed emotions on the issue of tighter officiating.

"I think some of it is good, especially in the post and the wrestling matches," Izzo said. "But I think some of it now has been taken to the point where touching a guy on the hip is a foul and I'm not really in favor of that."