The Kansas Jayhawks fell flat against the Oregon Ducks early in the Elite Eight, but they weren’t alone as one of the referees in the game also took a tumble
There was palpable excitement coming into Saturday night as the Kansas Jayhawks took on the Oregon Ducks in the Elite Eight. Deciding the winner of the Midwest Region in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, these were two of the hotter teams of late facing off. Only one of the two remained hot coming into the game on Saturday, though.
Kansas fell completely flat right out of the gate against the Ducks. While the stars for Oregon like Tyler Dorsey, Jordan Bell and Dillon Brooks were ready, the likes of Josh Jackson for the Jayhawks definitively were not. Subsequently, they ended up on their rear in the first-half as they went to the locker room trailing by 11 points.
Perhaps to not make Kansas feel self-conscious, one of the referees in the game would join the Jayhawks in falling on their rear.
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Midway through the second half, there was a fast break and said official hustled down the floor to make a call if necessary. As the action stopped with a block at the rim, the ref tried to stop and adjust. Instead, he lost his footing completely and ate it while play continued:
Maybe there was some water on the floor, or perhaps he just ate it—it happens. Either way, the referee was smart in at least making it look like the floor was wet as he called for a towel to wipe up the spot where he fell after the fact.
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There might not be a better way to define how Kansas played for roughly 30 minutes against Oregon than this referee, though. They made the simple things look difficult and, ultimately, looked a bit foolish in the process.