Bert Smith was alert and sitting up with his arms crossed as he was taken off the court. They were dressed in space suits. More Videos. Andy Specht (@AndySpecht) March 19, 2022. Now check your email to confirm your subscription to the Referee.com Review. But a positive test for one of the officials that wipes out some of the most highly-regarded referees for the sports's biggest annual event is a challenging pill for the NCAA to swallow as the week is just beginning. And after you see it? Terrible break for @TCUBasketball. Smiths vitals were normal and his brain was clear. It's not only his running style that has made Anderson popular on social media. Medical staff flanked him. There might not be a more unforgivable call the rest of March Madness. 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. Meet Kayla Simmons, the world's sexiest volleyball player who loves posing topless, Ex-UFC star VanZant sends fans wild as she flashes bum while climbing tree, Veronika Rajek wows in figure-hugging top as she invites fans to 'happy time', Brady could star in 'Netflix roast' while still 'trying to win back Gisele', 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Referee Bert Smith fell on the court during the first half of the game between USC and Gonzaga. NCAA Men's basketball tourney ref collapses during Gonzaga-USC game | Fox News March Madness Published March 30, 2021 9:08pm EDT NCAA Men's basketball tourney ref collapses during. The game was a testy one, headed to overtime, between teams desperate to reach the N.C.A.A. UNC fans were also outraged, calling for the refs involved to not be allowed to referee again. 6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. 'Scary scenes' as basketball referee collapses midway through March Madness college game . Smith revealed in a lengthy interview with the Indianapolis Star the fall may have saved him. If you are not familiar with Anderson by name, perhaps you've seen one of his viral videos. However, he likely never saw the day when he would be compared to a prison warden. We were kind of getting to sort of establish things for what we were doing because everything was brand new. Calling a timeout in crunch-time when your team doesnt have one? The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Baylor will play Houston on Saturday evening, while UCLA will face-off with Gonzaga later that night. There's an old weather proverb about March coming in like a lion and out like a lamb. Bert Smith was alert and sitting up with his arms crossed as he was taken off the court. March Madness Referee collapses on court at Gonzaga-USC March Madness game. Every one of us should value each day and not take it for granted.. It's a fun month. 1 Villanova defeated No. What happened to me on the court was going to happen to me somewhere again, and maybe I dont recover, Smith said. 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. 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. Here's why. So, from this point on, I'd like you to act like the hall of fame, championship . The 2022 NCAA Tournament has been thrilling, dramatic, full of surprises, richly competitive, and entirely compelling. No heart attack or stroke, he was alert and talking to the medics as they rolled him off the court. After a battery of tests, they had the answer, and it was much more worrisome than dehydration. 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.. Medical personnel from both teams surrounded Smith on the court as players, coaches and staffers moved toward their respective bench areas. Two of the officials will not be replaced.". We've received your submission. When you live something like I did, it hits you square in the eyes that you really have to value each day.. If You Dont Have a Denim Shirt Yet, Whats Stopping You? James Givens is one of the oldest referees in the game. The Bulldogs held a 49-30 lead over the Trojans at halftime. March Madness = The Big Dance. 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. It was almost like college-wise, youre going back to a college atmosphere.. Odds of a perfect March Madness bracket. Here are three things to know about the former Section Vref: Jeff and his high knees have made it to the Elite 8. UNC Barstool (@UNCBarstool) March 19, 2022, https://twitter.com/jms2442/status/1505265875854708736. 1 overall seed Gonzaga on Thursday. And there is hope that none will ever have to experience NCAA Tournaments like these again. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/HmL6o5QaYH, Tyler Roney (@TylerJRoney) March 30, 2021, Patrick Everson (@Covers_Vegas) March 30, 2021. He was seen earlier in the game stumbling a bit as he regained his balance, just minutes before he would pass out and hit his head on the ground. Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) March 20, 2022. All 58 of our officials would boo me in unison, he said with a laugh. So Im just sort of frustrated, mad and not knowing what the hecks going on, Smith said. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. 5 seed Houston was always going to produce a tense atmosphere. CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) March 20, 2022 Mike Reed, Brian O'Connell, Courtney Green were the refs in the game. Illinois couldnt afford to have such a dumb call go against them in a close game the Cougars are too good for that. We had a tournament, but it felt nothing like the usual March Madness experience. He said, Were going to take care of you. It took a huge burden off of me. Doesnt react quick enough and is straight-lined by 2nd Arizona defender. Coming on the heels of an unprecedented conclusion to the 2019-20 season when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of all the NCAAs national basketball tournaments, the return to postseason basketball was still anything but normal one year later. 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. And it's part of a larger problem, damn near a trope, in sports broadcasting. Most Final Four appearances. 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. After Six Refs Sent Home, March Madness. RJ Melendez's technical. Over the course of 21 years officiating men's basketball at the Division I level, Shaw worked seven Final Fours among the 19 seasons being a part of the NCAA's March Madness. Ja Morants allegations of aggression off the court, explained. Gotta go all the way back to Dec. 2017 (Neb vs. UTSA). 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. Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday. 2 min read A full Day 1 of the NCAA Tournament provided an. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. And if you happen to catch Anderson in public, you may be lucky enough to grab a photo-op. Thats an important detail considering that, until all of the officials cleared quarantine procedures, none of them were allowed to use the hotel elevators. Tuesday night about 2 a.m., I woke up soaked in sweat and I couldnt swallow, Ayers said. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Smith has been an NCAA Division I official since 1993. There have been several endgame controversies in this tournament, and USC was involved in one of them. Selection Sunday will be held on Sunday, March 12, when . It was a journey . Per policy, explanations are only given for time/situation calls, not judgement calls on individual plays. 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 . HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT SUNGLASSES FOR YOUR FACE SHAPE. Early in the West Region final between Gonzaga and USC at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Smith hit the floor and stayed down for several minutes. 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. Commercials played, lots of them, before we found out Smith seemed to be okay. Referees have a very difficult job keeping up with kids half, to one-third, their age with 10 times more athletic ability. 10:27 am ET. 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. In a close NCAA Tournament game, handing out a technical for hanging on the rim is a hugely punitive decision. 5 Houston50-44. I said, Uh-oh. Smith had a blood clot in his right lung, also known as a pulmonary embolism. Gambling problem? He went to a local hospital and went through a battery of X-rays and scans on his chest. We really enjoyed just getting that freedom more than anything. #HookEm https://t.co/2AX42ZXKq8, Christian Corona (@ChristianC0rona) March 21, 2022. And then he said something Ill never forget. If you were to imagine a scenario in which #USC loses a tournament game, the L to Oregon State in Vegas fit the description. 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. That you need to watch it again. The Month of Madness is here and that means even more conference tournaments and the Big Dance. A couple beats later, without any warning, the team at TBS decided to show what really happened. 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. J.D. 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! From a mall parking lot altercation to a fight with a teenager during a pickup game, these are the allegations Ja Morant is facing. And I look and I go, Whats that for? he said with a laugh. 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. I did a lot of sit-ups, he said. Two Division I conferences told The Associated Press . It may have been Indiana's best play of the game. Had UNC not won in overtime, the Baylor win would have marked both a historic and controversial moment in NCAA Tournament history. Those 120 officials faced stiff restrictions before even stepping on the floor at their tournament sites. Dillon Essma (@Essma_Dillon) March 30, 2021. View Rodriguez vs. Morales fight video, highlights, news, Twitter updates, and fight results. TBS replayed official Bert Smith collapsing. 00:01 01:38 Author:. In real time, not much information was available, with CBS, which was broadcasting the game, cutting to a commercial. I went by Penny and I felt like a little kid, like I was caught. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Not the guy at the corner table in Buffalo Wild Wings. Game stopped. 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. It saved his life. Smith reportedly stayed on the floor for about five minutes before standing up and moving to a nearby stretcher. Reporters Ross Dellenger and Jeff Borzello later tweeted that, according to the NCAA, Smith was in stable condition. Purdue earned probably 36-38 of its 46 free throws. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Don't show one of the most painful moments of someone's life like it's your favorite GIF. Plenty of content will be coming your way on those topics . . Everything we send is officiating specific because that's all we do. Smith was alert and stable as he was placed on a stretcher and transported off the court at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Anderson, 54, graduated from Franklin High School in 1985. If a referee gives anybody a technical for hanging on the rim, we should. Subscribe to get the Referee.com Review every week plus periodic free training and special offers on the sports you officiate. 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. Manek was given aflagrant-2 foul and automatic ejection, which changed the course of the 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. The Final Four was held in front of a few thousand people as opposed to the now-normal crowd in the area of 70,000 people. I felt so guilty, said Gonzalez with a laugh. The 56-year-old veteran referee was carried off the court on a stretcher. 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