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Referee stops game to clean imaginary wet spot, allowing sub to enter
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Referees often get bad raps. Every call they make against our team is an utter disgrace and they should be suspended/fired for the mistake.
But sometimes, refs are pretty cool, too.
The NCAA Tournament is filled with thousands of joyous moments. But it also has some sad moments, too, as players from every team but 1 (the eventual national champion) have their seasons, and sometimes their careers, come to an end during March Madness.
On Friday night, No. 12 seed Liberty was getting trounced by No. 5 seed Oregon. The Liberty coach was attempting to get a substitute into the game so he could see some action in an NCAA Tournament contest. But with the clock running and less than a minute left, it didn’t appear that was going to happen.
That’s when referee Roger Ayers appeared to “notice a wet spot on the court.” What Ayers was really trying to do when he blew the whistle to stop the game, though, was allow Liberty’s JC Shirer Jr. to get his first NCAA Tournament court time:
That’s a small thing that won’t show up in the box score (though thanks to Ayers, now Shirer’s name will officially show up in an NCAA Tournament box score), but what Ayers did will be remembered by Shirer and his family for a long time.
These are the moments March Madness is so great for.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
