It probably won't be. It was a journey . And when the moment came each time for the group to load back onto a bus and return to their bubble accommodations, Collins got an earful. Once the officials cleared initial quarantines, they still had to endure daily virus testing for the entirety of their tournament experience, were forced to change into and out of their uniforms at their hotels instead of on-site locker rooms, had to ride in approved shuttle buses to and from the arena, and could not even stick around following their own games to watch their fellow officials work games. March Madness roundup: Houston, Baylor reach Final Four, March Madness roundup: Houston in Elite Eight for first time since 1984. The Cougars won the game, 68-53, to advance to the Sweet 16. 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 are loud, boisterous crowds and fans from all 68 tournament teams represented in sports books up and down the Strip. With the help of Collins and the NCAA staff, he was able to secure a rental car and made the eight-hour drive home. Ron Groover and Terry Oglesby are set to join Anderson on the officiating crew tonight. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. It was not immediately clear what his condition was after the game. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". State odds, Sun Belt tourney picks, UNI vs. Illinois State odds, MVC Tournament picks, Alabama overcomes huge deficit, rallies to beat Auburn, Kansas wins 17th Big 12 title under Bill Self, Dribble Handoff: Choosing March Madness breakout stars. At that point, Smith was strapped in and taken off the court, with a now indelible image of him on the stretcher, arms crossed, a scowl etched across his face. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". (Collins) know. " Says it deflated Illinois' momentum. Claims the official (Brian O'Connell) told him after the fact that he shouldn't have called it. The refs need to realize the game isnt about them. Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. There was no mold. You go on Google and pop pulmonary embolism in there, and you spend 10-15 minutes reading about it, and you sort of go, Whoa! MARCH MADNESS BAD BEATS BLOG: No. Further examination revealed Smith, 56, had a blood clot in his lung, the Indianapolis Star reported on Friday. The refs in the mens NCAA tournament have been an issue several times already, particularly in the North Carolina vs. Baylor game, and this is the most egregious call they have made so far. The game was closely contested midway through the second half when Illini freshman RJ Melendez got the ball on a breakaway after a steal. DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 05: Associate head coach Jon Scheyer of the Duke Blue Devils looks on behind head coach Mike Krzyzewski during the second half of the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 05, 2022 in Durham, North Carolina. Deaths, too. Bert Smith told the . I brought so much stuff, like I was going to camp. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS. Ive already done it.. We won't send you spam. You start realizing that there were only 60 guys here. We had a hallway dance party, and everyone was like, great, we can hear music, we can dance, we can live. A couple beats later, without any warning, the team at TBS decided to show what really happened. Having experienced laundry issues in the WNBA bubble, she used FedEx to ship a mini washer and dryer setup to her hotel room in Texas. The NCAA said Tony Chiazza, who is scheduled to be the standby referee for Tuesday night's Michigan-UCLA game, also will serve as the reserve official for the Gonzaga-USC game. Then they convinced him to swing his legs up onto it. His wife has seen it once, and she'll . That was an emotional conversation, Smith said. March Madness ref Bert Smith's collapse may have saved his life By Zach Braziller April 9, 2021 3:15pm Updated An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. #HookEm https://t.co/2AX42ZXKq8, Christian Corona (@ChristianC0rona) March 21, 2022. Per policy, explanations are only given for time/situation calls, not judgement calls on individual plays. Update (March 24): The men don't get just one special court at each venue. As Smith was tended to by medical professionals on the floor, Gonzaga players were told to look away, ESPN reported. All four officials rank in the top 12 of KenPom's season-long "officials rankings. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. When the 31-year NCAA veteran from Huntington Beach, Calif., checked into the officials first hotel, the Holiday Inn in San Antonio, he was assigned to the very last room on the ninth floor, farthest away from the stairs. 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. Game stopped. Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. The referee anticipated TCU driving to the basket, but Arizonas double-team prevented that. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: collegebasketball | pageType: stories | I was in the building yesterday, witnessed Carolina build a 25 pt lead, the most investigation-deserving officiating Ive ever seen, the Heels blow said 25 pt lead with the lineup we had left, and a UNC OT NCAA win over top seed and defending champ Baylor. View. 1 Kansas (33-6) and No. On the TBS broadcast, rules analyst Gene Steratore said Smith was experiencing lightheadedness and was being tended to in the locker room. Thats still 8-10 too many. UNC playing both Baylor and refs. 1 overall seed Gonzaga on Thursday. Referee Bert Smith's fall in men's NCAA Tournament game didn't kill him. 1 in 9.2 quintillion. Had Green been selected to work the Big Ten title game, he would have had no choice but to remain in Indy following that game Sunday afternoon and immediately enter the NCAA bubble. The fall of the top-ranked team in the NCAA . The NCAA has implemented strict protocols for players, coaches and staffers in this year's NCAA Tournament, including assigned seating for bus rides, to try and avoid contact tracing wiping out large swaths of teams and wreaking havoc on the bracket. We all look forward to and desire a normal year, whatever thats going to be.. And it's part of a larger problem, damn near a trope, in sports broadcasting. 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. ", "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.". You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. It was 162 steps, and I was doing it nine times a day, said Gonzalez, who had to make the trek for each of his meals and to do his COVID testing. The game was a testy one, headed to overtime, between teams desperate to reach the N.C.A.A. Two of the officials will not be replaced.". The 2022 NCAA Tournament has been thrilling, dramatic, full of surprises, richly competitive, and entirely compelling. Illinois couldnt afford to have such a dumb call go against them in a close game the Cougars are too good for that. Last summer, during her sixth season as a WNBA official, the Providence, R.I., resident found herself inside that leagues bubble at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. An Elite Eight game in Indianapolis was marred by a scary incident when veteran college basketball referee Bert Smith, who was officiating at the match, collapsed on the floor during the first half. This was a horrendous call by the officials by any measure. . The article is made available for educational use by individuals. The doctors convinced Smith to sit on the stretcher for just a moment. Just as USC was bringing the ball down the court to lessen their 11-4 trail behind Gonzaga, one of the refs blew his whistle as soon as he saw Smith land on the floor. He went to a local hospital and went through a battery of X-rays and scans on his chest. Ja Morants allegations of aggression off the court, explained. The mens tournament would ostensibly be held in Indianapolis, while using arenas throughout the Hoosier State, from West Lafayette in the northwest and Bloomington to the south, for early round games. To have ones name on the list of officials selected for the NCAA mens and womens basketball tournaments would, under normal circumstances, be more than enough adrenaline to fuel their own personal March Madness. Upon arrival in either Indianapolis or San Antonio, they were required to take initial COVID-19 tests and quarantine in their hotel rooms, unable to even venture to the hotel pool, gym or lobby until receiving clearance from local health officials and the NCAA. You have to prepare for anything in life. It's not a bad gig. 1 seed Gonzaga. Once the coating has set, draw 4 black vertical lines down the vanilla candy coating. It saved his life. Its a change from last years pandemic-limited tournament held in Indianapolis and surrounding areas inside the state of Indiana, often in front of reduced-fan crowds. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). There have been several endgame controversies in this tournament, and USC was involved in one of them. Any chance you get the ability to go home, even if its for a couple of hours, is worth it, said Green, singing the refrain of a busy sports official. 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. Slowly but surely, he regained his physical health and now feels 100 percent. Among those who were sent home include Ted Valentine, John Higgins, Kipp Kissinger and Roger Ayers. Instructions. Carter has reportedly left the combine after allegations of his role in a fatal car accident. pic.twitter.com/b3v0HezKJP. Odds & lines subject to change. 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