NCAA referee bizarrely removed from March Madness game at half-time after learning connection with Chattanooga

Tommi Paris was replaced in middle of the game because of 'background conflict.'

NCAA referee bizarrely removed from March Madness game at half-time after learning connection with Chattanooga

NCAA [Image Credit: NPR]

March Madness has started in college basketball. As expected, like every year the games of both men’s and women’s basketball are extremely competitive and entertaining. However, during the NCAA women’s basketball game between the NC State Wolfpack and Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday an unusual situation occurred which left the fans confused.

One of the officials was replaced in the middle of the game. Tommi Paris was pulled from the game at halftime during the first-round matchup between NC State and Chattanooga. The official was replaced by Angelica Suffren at the beginning of the second half. The NCAA addressed the unusual situation after the game.

YouTube video

The NCAA released a statement explaining the reason behind pulling the referee out in the middle of the game. In the statement, it was revealed that the official was removed due to ‘background conflict’. Paris is a former student of Chattanooga. The referee has a master’s degree from the college.

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It was learned after the game had started that Umpire 2 Tommi Paris had a background conflict that, if known, would prevent her from working that assigned game.
Official NCAA statement

It was surprising that the NCAA was not aware of the official’s background beforehand. Fortunately, the change in referees did not have any consequences on the game. During the replacement, the Wolfpack were leading at halftime. Despite the bizarre change in the game, the switch did not affect the team. The NC State maintained their lead in the next two quarters and won the game 64-45.

The NCAA’s officiating during March Madness is receiving criticism

In March Madness, one of the most competitive basketball takes place. Fans take the wins and losses very seriously as the competition gets heated. Currently, the NCAA’s officiating in the past few games of both men’s and women’s basketball has received harsh criticism from the fans.

During the men’s basketball game between Kansas and Samford, the game came very close in the last seconds. With 20 seconds left on the clock, Samford cut down the Kansas lead to one point. On the very next play, Kansas’ Nicolas Timberlake was blocked by the Samford’s A.J. Staton-McCray. However, the referees called a blocking foul on McCray followed by free throws for Kansas. The free throws ended up being the winning factor for Kansas.

Fans were furious as the call resulted in a loss for Samford. On the same day, in women’s basketball, during a game between Iowa Hawkeyes and Holy Cross Crusaders, star Caitlin Clark got hit in the face by Bronagh Power-Cassidy. No foul was called by the referees initially. After review Clark was given free throws as the foul was intentional. However, fans were upset at the foul not being called immediately.

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