Northwestern was down by as many as 22 points against top-seeded Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA tournament before a furious second half comeback to make the game close late.
Northwestern’s Chris Collins got a technical foul at the worst time, but he was right about the call
The Northwestern coach should have known better ... but he was also right.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The Wildcats cut the deficit to 63-58 when head coach Chris Collins was called for a technical foul for arguing about a Gonzaga block he thought should have been goaltending. Gonzaga received two free throws and the ball and converted from the foul line on both attempts. Gonzaga would go on to win the game 79-73.
Collins’ freakout came at the worst possible time. He went after the official in a move he only could have learned from Coach K (Collins was a long-time Duke assistant).
Thing is, Collins had a point. The refs totally blew this call. As you can see Gonzaga’s Zach Collins has his hand inside the rim when he blocks the shot:
The refs missed a call at a huge time. Collins should have known he can’t freak out like that, though. This was a major four-point swing late in a close game and it’s unacceptable from both sides.
After the game, the NCAA admitted the refs missed the call:
The NCAA read the statement to Collins after the game at this press conference. This was his reaction:
Anyway. Great game.
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