Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to defend the actions of Big 12 officiating crews, and on Saturday, another mark went against the crew for calling a pointless late-game foul.
Of course, the first name that came up from the crew was Tony Padilla, who was roasted by a boatload of fans, players, coaches, and just about anyone else in earshot. The issue in question was when Padilla called a foul with 0.2 seconds remaining on the clock after UCF fans had already made the move to rush the court after upsetting No. 11 Texas Tech. Due to this, the fans were forced to return to their seats before storming the court seconds later for a second time.
Take a look:
The broadcast crew even noted the ridiculousness of it on the call, saying, “A lot of times, in these types of moments and instances, this is where chaos ensues. They’ve (UCF’s stadium attendees) done a great job of getting everything under control. I mean, this just feels kind of silly at this point.”
” Silly” is the perfect way to describe Padilla’s actions; here is what some of the commenters had to say. Notably, former Big 12 star at Kansas State, Coleman Hawkins, chimed in roasting Padilla with a tweet of his own.
He wasn’t the only one, either, as Padilla was referred to as a clown, a joke, a moron, and so much more. Unfortunately, the refs won’t ever be perfect, but this feels like one to keep in the pocket. Let the clock run out and move on. There’s no need for the back-and-forth here, Tony.
