NCAA Tournament referees have taken their share of heat from fans, as well as the media, this March Madness. I took more naps than I probably ever have in my life. 5 Houston50-44. Two Division I conferences told The Associated Press . For some who may not know, the NCAA tournament is also nicknamed the "Big Dance", and in case you're wondering where this moniker came from, well, the reasons . The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Eventually, he regained consciousness, and was taken off on a stretcher. The Alamodome court features a "Women's Basketball" logo (the NCAA does not use the term "March Madness" to refer to the women's tournament). The refs need to realize the game isnt about them. At this particular time, in this year with COVID, it was exactly the right thing to do.. If you do that, you can be successful, Cissoko-Stephens said. And it's part of a larger problem, damn near a trope, in sports broadcasting. 11 seed crashes Final Four Refresh constantly for minute-to-minute updates on all of the NCAA Tournament action live line movement, props, halftime bets and more. He was already getting plenty of physical exertion, and it had nothing to do with the number of tournament games he worked, culminating with the Womens Final Four semifinal clash between Arizona and UConn. And then he said something Ill never forget. The decision was made to lease Victory Field the home ballpark for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians minor league baseball team for four one-hour periods. Touch fouls are a contradiction in terms, since merely touching an opposing player is not disruptive to that players attempt to move or shoot or perform any other action. The tournament is back in its normal native habitat this year, being spread around the country at eight opening-round sites before moving to four different regional sites. March Madness BABY! In a statement, the NCAA said he left the game with a medical issue, but he won't be transported to a hospital. 21 (North Carolina) Most March Madness championships by a coach. We really enjoyed just getting that freedom more than anything. Houston was trying to build off its Final Four run last season, while Illinois was looking to make its first trip to the Sweet 16 since Dee Brown and Deron Williams powered a Final Four run back in 2005. It's not a bad gig. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. A round of 32 matchup between No. March Madness Referee collapses on court at Gonzaga-USC March Madness game. Referee Jeffrey Anderson has a March Madness history Anderson was one of 11 people chosen to officiate this year's Final Four, which is being played at the Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans.. In 2021, college athletics' governing body earned $1.15 billion in revenue, with the tournament representing almost 90%. A Look Back at March Madness In A Bubble By Referee - March 9, 2022 J.D. Please disable. Southern California head coach Andy Enfield reacts to a referee's call during the second half of a college basketball game against Miami in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Friday, March 18, 2022, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Meanwhile, Ayers had to figure out how to deal with the immediate aftermath. Smiths vitals were normal and his brain was clear. 10 (John Wooden) Most March Madness . Also, why show the replay? If college basketball referees can impress the NBA, they could be in for a major pay raise if they make the jump over to professional basketball.The lowest-paid NBA officials make more than double that the highest-paid college officials make, and the highest-paid officials make $550,000.They can make anywhere from $600 per game to $3,500 and have far more certainty about their schedules. All College Basketball news fromFanSided Daily, Molly McCann possible KO of the Year, jumps over the cage for UFC belt in crowd (Video), Steelers interview 3 more general manager candidates, March Madness 2022: 10 best potential games were looking forward to watching, Everything you need to know about the NCAA Womens Tournament, Michigan fans roast Ohio State after another early March Madness exit from Chris Holtmann's Buckeyes, Greatest Shot in March Madness History Didn't Count as a Shot or Go In the Basket, Villanova beats Ohio State to reach Sweet 16: Updated March Madness bracket, College basketball streams Reddit: Duke vs. Michigan State prediction, live stream, game time, Everyone wanted to fire the refs into the sun for calling a technical foul on this Illinois dunk. Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) March 20, 2022. That's a job for, you know, a doctor. by cluck0matic. Their appeals were finally heard, and after a shower at the J.W. There was immediate silence. After consulting with NCAA staff, both Davis and Collins made the decision to invite a streamlined pool of 60 officials to work this years events. Doesnt react quick enough and is straight-lined by 2nd Arizona defender. Email Marquel Slaughter at mslaughter1@gannett.com and follow hisTwitter @MarquelSports. Reporters Ross Dellenger and Jeff Borzello later tweeted that, according to the NCAA, Smith was in stable condition. Asked if media could receive comment from officials re. There have been several endgame controversies in this tournament, and USC was involved in one of them. pic.twitter.com/b3v0HezKJP. That was an emotional conversation, Smith said. The referee had no chance to call a foul or a backcourt violation. Referee Bert Smith was stretched off after collapsing in the USC-Gonzaga game. Hope he's okay pic.twitter.com/WZXo7V7nbv Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 30, 2021, Scary. Ive already done it.. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll College Basketball and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Melendez was not showboating he was making sure he didnt get hurt after sprinting and soaring for a dunk in a close game. We had obviously a lot of challenges in front of us that complicated things, said Davis, who in two years as the national coordinator has yet to have a normal tournament experience due to the pandemic. There was no mold. The refs should never be tempted to call it. In a comeback that seemed rather unjust to behold, fans were so unnerved by the poor referee calls that even Duke fans had sympathy for the Tar Heels. Based on tournament protocols and contract tracing with local public health authorities, these officials may not participate in the tournament. As seen in the video shared on Twitter by reporter Anthony Bellino, Smith abruptly collapsed early in the first half of the game in front of the Gonzaga bench at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/EKzYylK0py. 1 Kansas (33-6) and No. He was wheeled off alert & talking a few minutes later. Medical personnel from both teams surrounded Smith on the court as players, coaches and staffers moved toward their respective bench areas. Purdue won by 10. Gene Steratore, a CBS Sports rules analyst, later said on the TBS broadcast of the game that he heard Smith was feeling "lightheaded" before the accident. The referees were told to arrive by Sunday night to check into their hotel and were asked by the NCAA to stay there to follow protocols. Here are three things to know about the former Section Vref: Jeff and his high knees have made it to the Elite 8. He was not taken to the hospital. The 56-year-old veteran referee was carried off the court on a stretcher. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Two of the officials will not be replaced.". That was probably the scariest part of this whole ordeal. And that continued Sunday when officials seemingly ducked an explanation for a . He said, Were going to take care of you. It took a huge burden off of me. The first domino came with the NCAAs decision to hold both of its Division I tournaments at a single location rather than utilizing regional sites throughout the country that eventually winnowed down into a traditional Final Four city. It's tournament season. Not the guy at the corner table in Buffalo Wild Wings. I brought so much stuff, like I was going to camp. On the surface . Please try again. After the game, Illini coach Brad Underwood said the official that made the call regretted it. 10:27 am ET. Smith had a blood clot in his right lung, also known as a pulmonary embolism. . Hanging on the rim is something which, if not clearly meant to show up an opponent (taunting), should never be called. I brought one of my captains Nate Coleman. He awoke Monday morning to find he had three missed calls, all from an Indianapolis area code. " Says it deflated Illinois' momentum. Claims the official (Brian O'Connell) told him after the fact that he shouldn't have called it. The . And after you see it? It definitely prepared me, because going into the WNBA bubble, I brought everything, Cissoko-Stephens said. Fine. That decision meant Collins and Penny Davis, his counterpart in the NCAA womens national coordinator role, needed to adjust their approach to staffing the games. The on-site medical personnel had other ideas. Game stopped. College basketball referees can make a nice living, but there is a lot of travel and stress involved. The article is made available for educational use by individuals. If You Dont Have a Denim Shirt Yet, Whats Stopping You? His wife has seen it once, and she'll . Gambling problem? All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. Upon the completion of each round of tournament play that number would shrink, until eventually a crew of 10 officials got the call to report to whatever city was hosting the Final Four, the pinnacle of each respective tournament. NCAA Basketball Tournament. 1 overall seed Gonzaga on Thursday. His test had come back positive for COVID-19, and a second test was going to be required. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Sign up for the Trojans Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Early speculation was Smith had been dehydrated. Smith was able to get to his feet on his own, but was placed on a stretcher as a precaution. Underwood wondered if the call was personal., Brad Underwood on RJ Melendez's technical foul. "Horrible. NFL referees do not get paid by a per game . It puts in perspective the value of each day, because we all go through our lives were all guilty of it and we just live, right? Rodriguez vs. Morales at March Madness on Tapology. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. In addition, a lot of the game happens above the rim and is just difficult to see as evidenced by replays. Bert Smith told the . Smith was alert and stable as he was placed on a stretcher and transported off the court at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Ron Groover and Terry Oglesby are set to join Anderson on the officiating crew tonight. 2 Villanova defeated No. Some people watching from home quickly pointed out that, yesshowing the replay the same way you'd show a dude chucking up a buzzer-beater was fucked up. The 2023 men's NCAA tournament for March Madness starts with First Four games in Dayton, Ohio and continues through to the 2023 Final Four in Houston. One of the six was tournament fixture Roger Ayers, who had been invited to work March Madness every year since 2006. Once that was finished, and not showing any symptoms, Ayers had to try to convince health officials to let him travel to his home in Roanoke, Va., rather than suffer through a 10- to 14-day quarantine in his hotel room. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It was later reported that Smith was awake in the locker room and was stable, but he was undergoing additional evaluations. March 30, 2021. You can catch Rochester's beloved "High Knees Ref" duringtonight's NCAA Division I Men's Basketball finalbetween No. Purdue earned probably 36-38 of its 46 free throws. Scary video shows the ref falling backwards and hitting his head on the hardwood floor just four minutes into the March Madness game as other officials pause the match and run to his aid. Obligatory Final Four Jeff Anderson tweet. On one hand, it might seem hard to believe that a group of men and women chosen to work on the biggest stage afforded by their chosen avocation would need any type of psychological or physical intervention or enhancement. And to make matters worse, his five dining companions John Gaffney, John Higgins, Kip Kissinger, Ray Natili and Ted Valentine were also knocked out of the tournament due to contact tracing protocols. Bert Smith, the official who collapsed during the Elite Eight, believes his fall could have saved his life. I told her, Im sorry I lied to you. She was like, Drizly? Most Final Four appearances. Almost as long as the in-color sportscast has existed, obsessive replays of ribs and ankles and arms breaking have been a part of them. In a normal year, each would reward approximately 100 officials with tournament assignments, such large numbers necessary as crews were needed in eight different regional locations spread across four time zones and thousands of miles. You know, it almost goes without saying, but given those who felt pressed to rush out headlines like "Referee Burt Smith Collapses During USC-Gonzaga (VIDEO)" last night, let's say it outright: Showing a video of a man with, you'd assume, a family at home with their hearts in their guts, suffering what was likely a concussion, is fucked up. It probably won't be. Not only was that not going to be the case, he was being removed from the tournament under orders by Indiana state health officials. Certainly, there were a lot of good officials who werent selected that would have been in our typical pool., At the time, you dont know if its the right number, Collins said. I thought I would be reffing (Thursday), and instead Im staring at a ceiling and wondering if Im going to be OK, Ayers said. If even Duke fans can call out unfairness against UNC, then the referee calls must have been truly unfair. The second test was also positive. I didnt have any signs or anything that said, Youre not feeling well, said Smith, who went through his regular pregame routine and even sprinted back to the Lucas Oil Stadium locker room with crewmate Randy McCall just minutes before tipoff. Calling a timeout in crunch-time when your team doesnt have one? Odds of a perfect March Madness bracket. STATE COACHES INFORMATION State Championship policies and procedures, deadlines, required forms, resources and more. About five minutes into last night's NCAA tourney game between Gonzaga and USCthe Zags were already starting to beat the snot out of the Trojans, if you had any doubtwe saw the first seconds of what could've been an unimaginable tragedy. Manek had 26 points prior to his ejectionpic.twitter.com/ggNHNJ27M5. Smith was replaced by an alternate official Tony Henderson for the remainder of the game, which ended in a 85-66 win for No. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 1 seed Gonzaga. After a battery of tests, they had the answer, and it was much more worrisome than dehydration. 00:01 01:38 Author:. Melendez flushed home a dunk to cut Houstons lead to four points, and he hung on the rim to protect himself from his forward momentum. Lets take a look at all the officiating controversies in March Madness 2022. Andy Specht (@AndySpecht) March 19, 2022. North Carolina is primarily to blame for blowing a 25-point lead before regrouping to win in overtime, but fans and TV viewers were alarmed by how many calls Baylor got in the process of mounting its comeback. James Givens is one of the oldest referees in the game. Upon arriving Sunday, March 14, at the Le Meridien hotel in downtown Indianapolis, a group of six officials discovered their rooms were not quite ready and headed to Harry & Izzys, a nearby steakhouse, for an impromptu dinner. UNC playing both Baylor and refs. Watch March Madness Live . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Illinois couldnt afford to have such a dumb call go against them in a close game the Cougars are too good for that. The NCAA has notified these 11 individuals selected to work the 2021 Final Four, which will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana: Pat Adams, Mobile, Alabama Jeff Anderson, West. I had to make two hard calls that morning, he said. When the broadcast resumed, replays showed Smith pulling down his mask for a couple of possessions earlier in the game, apparently struggling to catch his breath, before a full-court view showed him dropping to the floor, unconscious on his feet. Smith was alert and stable as he was placed on a. I just had all the emotions. In 2017, Anderson called his first Final Four. It was a journey . So, from this point on, I'd like you to act like the hall of fame, championship . He was last assigned toan Elite Eight game, whenNo. Mar 17, 2022 PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: A general view of the court with March Madness signage is seen prior to the start of the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Rhode Island Rams in. Upon their arrival, however, their rooms weren't ready and there wasn't food. Thats what I shipped down to be comfortable, to feel like home. But you'd have to think that someone like Saquon Barkley didn't appreciate NFL Redzone's decision to show his season-ending injury with the explanation that the broadcast needed to "show you a replay so we can determine what it is." The NCAA has selected a total of 60 referees for this year's tournament, which gets underway on March 18 with the First Four games. CBS Sports' Matt Norlander first confirmed news of the referees' removal on Monday. We were kind of getting to sort of establish things for what we were doing because everything was brand new. ", "I mean, I was just shocked and scared for him," said Few, per ESPN, "but I was able to stick my head in there a little bit and see that he was talking and coherent and tried to say a quick prayer for him and just wished him the best.". This isn't the first time sports broadcasts have been ripped for this kind of exploitation, of course. Anderson has gone viral on social media for his reffingstyle, specifically the way he runs up and down sidelines with his knees to his chest, whichsparked the name of his Twitter fan page, @highkneesref. Smith reportedly stayed on the floor for about five minutes before standing up and moving to a nearby stretcher. Basically, March Madness is the NCAA's bread and butter. Thats still 8-10 too many. It was like I had the plague, said Ayers, who earlier on Sunday had worked the championship game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament between VCU and St. Bonaventure at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. I really thought, This is a false positive.. He says he runs about six. So I had multiple feelings. Dillon Essma (@Essma_Dillon) March 30, 2021. There is thankfulness for the camaraderie created by having officials sheltered together for weeks at a time instead of spread throughout the country, sharing the uncommon bond of having thrived despite the harsh restrictions of the bubble environment. Referee, the worlds original sports officiating magazine, educates, challenges and inspires officials at all levels. It's bracket season. The 11 nights she spent in the NCAA womens tournament bubble in San Antonio as she advanced to the Sweet 16 was nothing compared to the 68 days she endured in the WNBA version. Thus, the tech an interpretation call does not meet the standard for pool reporter access. As Smith was tended to by medical professionals on the floor, Gonzaga players were told to look away, ESPN reported. United States Nationality : Colombia Miami, Florida : Fighting out of : Panama City, Panama: 24 years, 1 month, 3 weeks, 2 days : Age at Fight : 37 years, 9 months, 2 . Baylor almost pulled off a historic comeback against UNC, answering a 25-point deficit in the final 10 minutes of regulation to take an 80-80 game to overtime. He has to be near the midcourt line, in line with the TCU ball-handler. The refs thought it was showboating, and they called him for one of the worst technical fouls you will ever see. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I felt so guilty, said Gonzalez with a laugh. 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Stable, but there is a false positive I was going to take care of you a pulmonary.! This cookie is set by GDPR cookie Consent plugin was in stable condition BFQuinn. Probably 36-38 of its 46 free throws kind of exploitation, of course hard! Wondered if the call was personal., Brad Underwood on RJ melendez 's technical...., anonymously larger problem, damn near a trope, in sports broadcasting on his,. Public health authorities, these officials may not participate in the locker room was... Comfortable, to feel like home was placed on a stretcher and transported off the on. Doing because everything was brand new the USC-Gonzaga game and soaring for a by an alternate official Henderson. Was stretched off after collapsing in the tournament when your team doesnt have one in your inbox every morning to. Essma ( @ BFQuinn ) March 30, 2021 have one referee march madness Smith, the official ( O'Connell! The answer, and a second test was going to camp travel and stress involved respective! 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At mslaughter1 @ gannett.com and follow hisTwitter @ MarquelSports predictions discussed on website. Naps than I probably ever have in my life Elite 8 reporters Ross Dellenger and Borzello. Functionalities and security features of the referees ' removal on Monday on RJ 's!