Smiths vitals were normal and his brain was clear. Work 80-90 games in a 20-week season, stay in the best hotels and get paid about $1,000 a game, plus expenses. There have been several endgame controversies in this tournament, and USC was involved in one of them. 5 Houston50-44. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. 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 brought one of my captains Nate Coleman. Maybe they were talking about college basketball instead. So, after a year of constant and persisting morbidity, the quick trigger over in the booth skews toward the Let's See This Guy Get Hurt button? CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS. Let's provide bracket picks for the #Pac12WBB Tournament. Commercials played, lots of them, before we found out Smith seemed to be okay. I said, Uh-oh. And after you see it? Bert Smith, veteran NCAA . 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. The game was a testy one, headed to overtime, between teams desperate to reach the N.C.A.A. 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. I didnt have any triggers that I was experiencing any problems at all.. Smith was alert and stable as he was placed on a stretcher and transported off the court at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. They were given permission to leave for dinner, and a sliver of the group went to a steakhouse in Indianapolis together that caused some of them to be removed by contact tracing. College basketball referees can make a nice living, but there is a lot of travel and stress involved. Tuesday night about 2 a.m., I woke up soaked in sweat and I couldnt swallow, Ayers said. 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. Per policy, explanations are only given for time/situation calls, not judgement calls on individual plays. Mike Reed, Brian OConnell, Courtney Green were the refs in the game. It saved his life. It's bracket season. Cissoko-Stephens streamlined the process in San Antonio, but it doesnt mean she arrived without an array of creature comforts. Gambling problem? He was sitting up and fully alert while being moved to the locker room. 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. 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. When he wasnt busy putting one foot in front of the other, he was employing a variety of techniques to pass the time. As officials begin treating the man and check for his pulse, training staff crowd him as Smith remains motionless on the court. The womens tournament featured a similar approach, with San Antonio serving as the host, and nearby arenas in Austin and San Marcos also serving as de facto regional locations. More Videos. Purdue won by 10. Two of the officials will not be replaced.". 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. Arkansas more than impressed in its upset of No. 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. And there is hope that none will ever have to experience NCAA Tournaments like these again. Theyve now advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in three straight times in the mens tournament. Plenty of content will be coming your way on those topics . 8 North Carolina (29-9) at 9:20 p.m. on TBS. Smith was alert and stable as he was placed on a. Hearst Magazines and Verizon Media may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.. The officials, not so much. Dont think anyone needed to see him collapse. After the game, Illini coach Brad Underwood said the official that made the call regretted it. 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. 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 . Photo by . #HookEm https://t.co/2AX42ZXKq8, Christian Corona (@ChristianC0rona) March 21, 2022. It was almost like college-wise, youre going back to a college atmosphere.. Don't show one of the most painful moments of someone's life like it's your favorite GIF. His test had come back positive for COVID-19, and a second test was going to be required. Game stopped. "One official tested positive March 15, and five other officials the person interacted with the day before were identified as exposure risks due to prolonged close contact. Next up in 5. 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. After about two weeks, he was able to take short walks in his neighborhood. For more NCAA basketball news, analysis and highlights from March Madness, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action. Because whennot ifthe next injury comes, be it a twisted ankle or a shinbone out of a leg, they'll tell you that you want to see it. According to Smith, his doctors dont fully understand why the clot emerged, as he did not exhibit any of the telltale behaviors or symptoms that typically lead to a clot. Marriott hotel to freshen up, Smith went to IU Methodist Hospital. Referee Burt Smith looked like he was struggling seconds before he collapsed in the #USC #Gonzaga game. . The geography of the 2021 postseason, coupled with the NCAAs desire to create an officiating bubble that would allow for tighter control and monitoring, and reduced exposure to the ills caused by COVID-19, made such a large number of officials not only unnecessary, but unwise. And then he said something Ill never forget. I was walking the Empire State Building every day.. When he got to his room he placed his cell phone in Do Not Disturb mode and went to sleep. Among those who were sent home include Ted Valentine, John Higgins, Kipp Kissinger and Roger Ayers. He convinced the doctors to not admit him to the hospital, returning home and enduring four days where he could barely get out of bed and walk to the kitchen to grab a Gatorade from the fridge. Doing so allowed him to stock up on provisions avoiding some online supply ordering and enjoy a one-night respite from a hotel bed before he returned to tournament central for a 16-night stay that culminated with his first Sweet 16 assignment. 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. " Says it deflated Illinois' momentum. Claims the official (Brian O'Connell) told him after the fact that he shouldn't have called it. REFEREE Bert Smith collapsed during the first half of the USC - Gonzaga game during the Elite Eight of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Also, why show the replay? The game was stopped with 15:44 to go in the first half after he fell onto . The game was closely contested midway through the second half when Illini freshman RJ Melendez got the ball on a breakaway after a steal. With leisure-time options limited for the 58 mens basketball officials who found themselves confined to an Indianapolis bubble due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns and restrictions, the NCAA had to get creative to keep its tournament arbiters from going stir crazy. I compiled a few of the side-by-side court photos here. No symptoms. Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. 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. Regardless of whether you think TCU was fouled by Arizona at the end of regulation, its clear the official nearest the play was not in the right position. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. We've received your submission. Copyright 2022 Referee Enterprises Inc. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. I had to make two hard calls that morning, he said. There might not be a more unforgivable call the rest of March Madness. 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. As seen in Bellino's Twitter clip, Smith was sitting up awake on the stretcher and briefly flashed a smile. The opening two rounds of the NCAA tournament provide game action from Wednesday to Sunday night. You start realizing that there were only 60 guys here. 3 min read. Reporters Ross Dellenger and Jeff Borzello later tweeted that, according to the NCAA, Smith was in stable condition. The referee who collapsed during Gonzaga's matchup against USC in the NCAA men's basketball tournament had a blood clot in his lung, The Indianapolis Star reported Friday. 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. The first order of business was sharing the information with those who needed to know. This isn't the first time sports broadcasts have been ripped for this kind of exploitation, of course. I let J.D. 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. More Videos. Collins, the national coordinator of officiating, for the 2022 #MFinalFour. They sent two nurses to my room. Detroit's Davis near Maravich's NCAA scoring record, South Alabama-App. 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. 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