--- description: This NCAA March Madness, a whistle blast will instantly stop the basketball game clock, thanks to a a new technology. title: The Surprising New Tech in March Madness Refs' Whistles image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8926f566f120673f/6987844c428a9e1d69cc7b56/80352979.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Surprising New Tech in March Madness Refs' Whistles ## Video: Know Right Now: March Madness 2015 [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: March Madness 2015](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KAqajX9Y.m3u8) (1:01)  _Published 2015-03-18. Take a look at the teams who could go all the way to the big dance this year._  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 19, 2015 3:37 PM CUT  A referee holds his whistle during the second round game of the South Regional between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Michigan State Spartans on March 22, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. A referee holds his whistle during the second round game of the South Regional between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Michigan State Spartans on March 22, 2008 in Denver, Colorado.Doug Pensinger—Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 19, 2015 3:37 PM CUT This March Madness, a ref’s whistle blast will instantly stop the game clock, thanks to a a new technology that detects the shrill cry above the din of the crowd. The technology relies on a breakthrough in whistle design, the New York _Times_ [reports](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/sports/ncaabasketball/shrill-to-ncaa-tournament-referees-its-symphonic.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&%5Fr=0 "undefined"). The classic pea-rattling whistle suffers from occasional lapses in noise if the referee blows too hard or after saliva has collected in its chamber. Those whistles were gradually replaced in the late 80’s by a fail-proof design that funnels the breath through three chambers, which combine to create a shrill, three-toned screech. This season the N.C.A.A. will sync up the whistle tone to a Precision Time System that automatically brings the game clock to a screeching halt. Tests show that the speed of the system, which stops the clock faster than the average human operator, could add up to 30 seconds of playtime to a typical college game. [Read more at the New York _Times._](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/sports/ncaabasketball/shrill-to-ncaa-tournament-referees-its-symphonic.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&%5Fr=0 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3750768/march-madness-ncaa-whistles/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3750768/march-madness-ncaa-whistles/"},"headline":"The Surprising New Tech in March Madness Refs' Whistles","datePublished":"2015-03-19T15:37:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:04:41.833Z","description":"One ear-piercing blow will automatically stop the game clock","url":"https://time.com/3750768/march-madness-ncaa-whistles/","keywords":["Tech","Basketball","Innovation","March Madness"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8926f566f120673f/6987844c428a9e1d69cc7b56/80352979.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8926f566f120673f/6987844c428a9e1d69cc7b56/80352979.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Michigan St. v Pittsburgh","caption":"Michigan St. v Pittsburgh","creditText":"Doug Pensinger—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3750768/march-madness-ncaa-whistles/","name":"The Surprising New Tech in March Madness Refs' Whistles"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: March Madness 2015","description":"Take a look at the teams who could go all the way to the big dance this year.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/KAqajX9Y/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-03-18T17:43:51.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KAqajX9Y.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3750768/march-madness-ncaa-whistles/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3750768/march-madness-ncaa-whistles/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```