Six referees are ruled OUT of the men s NCAA Tournament as one tests positive for COVID-19 and five others are deemed close contacts after dining at an Indianapolis steakhouse
Six officials have been ruled out of the men s NCAA Tournament because one tested positive for COVID-19 and five others were deemed close contact
The group was permitted to dine together at a local steakhouse after arriving at their hotel to find their rooms were not ready and food was unavailable
The referees later returned to the hotel, where one tested positive for COVID-19
According to CBS Sports, referees Ted Valentine, John Higgins, Kipp Kissinger and Roger Ayers were among those who have been ruled out of the tournament
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UNM head coach Paul Weir, left, walks off Bob King Court in Dreamstyle Arena – the Pit as Utah State coach Craig Smith, right, hugs Abel Porter (15) after he hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left in the game, giving the Aggies a 68-66 win on Jan. 26, 2019. Utah State has won several close games with UNM in recent years. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)
Regardless of reason or the factors that led into it, the reality on the court is the UNM Lobos aren’t exactly killing it so far this college basketball season.
But Craig Smith, in his third season overseeing the Utah State Aggies, is, after all, still a coach.