Highly rated NCAA official John Higgins won’t ref Final Four after his crew blew a 1st-round call

In a first-round game between Auburn and the College of Charleston, referee John Higgins was part of a crew that allowed the wrong man to shoot the game-icing free throws that ended the Cougars’ upset bid. As a result, the highly-regarded official won’t be making his previously-assigned trip to the Final Four.

The NCAA announced it had taken Higgins off its weekend schedule after the veteran was an alternate on a crew that allowed Auburn’s Jared Harper, an 82-percent free-throw shooter, to shoot a pair of free throws with four seconds left and the Tigers leading 61-58. However, the man who drew the foul was actually forward Chuma Okeke — who shot 69 percent from the line this winter. Harper hit one of his two shots, effectively clinching the game for the No. 4-seed and ending Charleston’s Cinderella bid.

Higgins wasn’t on the court for the play, nor was he consulted as an alternate, but he’s feeling the NCAA’s discipline regardless.

“The official called the foul, briefly turned his head towards the scorer’s table and then turned his head back towards the basket where the foul occurred,” NCAA officiating coordinator J.D. Collins told CBS shortly after that game. “When he did so, Auburn’s Jared Harper was holding the ball because [Chuma] passed it to him just as he grabbed the rebound. The official pointed to Harper, identifying him as the shooter. Had any of the officials been aware of this, or had anyone alerted the officiating crew to the fact that the wrong player was at the foul line, the officials would have been able to review the play and determine [Chuma] should have been the shooter.”

It wasn’t the only criticized decision from the final seconds. Charleston guard Grant Riller appeared to draw contact while shooting a game-tying three, but officials kept their whistles silent as the Tigers hauled in the rebound that led to Harper’s misappropriated free throws.

Putting Harper on the line was a mistake Higgins didn’t directly make, but his inability to correct it will cost him. He was pulled from last week’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight action, and will miss the Final Four as well. Collins explained the NCAA’s decision to keep the accomplished veteran off the court for the season’s biggest weekend:

“If an official errs on a rule, misses a game-deciding play, or his miss-call ratio is too high, they are subject to not advancing in the NCAA tournament,” Collins told ESPN Sunday night.