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The manufacturer of the court at the March Madness national championship game is now hitting back against criticism after a floorboard appeared to move on North Carolina forward Armando Bacot in the crucial final moments of the game.
With under a minute left in Kansas’ 72-69 victory over UNC, Bacot drove to the basket, but appeared to meet resistance from a floorboard and rolled his ankle, turning the ball over and being forced out of the game. North Carolina was down by 1, but wasn’t able to score again.
In videos that went viral on social media, many pointed out that the floorboard in the constructed court at the Caesars Superdome appeared to move with his foot on impact. But now, the company that manufactured the court is fighting back against the claims.
“The court’s absorption characteristics are by design, and there were no loose floorboards or panels within the court, as confirmed by an expert technician who was present at every game of the men’s Final Four to ensure the quality and safety of the floor,” Jeff Krejsa, VP of marketing and strategy for Connor Sports, the company that makes the Final Four court, said in an email to ESPN.
“The Championship floor, as is all the floors, is a panel system engineered for athlete safety and comfort, achieved by its ability to absorb impact forces as an athlete jumps or pivots abruptly, while also ensuring that other players nearby are not negatively affected.”
Bacot did not mention the floor in the postgame press conference, and in a text message with ESPN, North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham downplayed any impact the floor may have had on the final result of the game.
“We played two games over that space. Just an unfortunate thing at a critical time,” the text read.
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