Reggie Miller was not here for the ref show.
Miller called the March Madness 2022 game between Illinois and Houston on Sunday, and with the Illini down 46-40 in the second half, RJ Melendez sprinted down the court for a fastbreak dunk to cut the Cougars’ lead to four. Because he was moving so fast, he had to pull up on the rim after the dunk to prevent himself from flying forward and possibly smashing his body against the floor.
However, the refs called a technical foul for the pull-up, as hanging on the rim intentionally after the dunk is against the rules. Miller was not pleased by the call and laid into the refs live on air.
“No. No, no. Absolutely not. I’m sorry,” Miller said immediately after the call. “First of all, his momentum is taking him with him. He has to swing back. You cannot give this young man a technical foul for this. He’s not showing off or anything. If he doesn’t, he is going to almost kill himself. You gotta swing on the rim here.”
It turned out to be a pivotal moment in the game. Houston made the technical free throw, and then pulled away for a 68-53 victory to move onto the Sweet 16. Illinois only scored 11 points over the last nine minutes of the game.
Despite winning the Big Ten regular-season championship, Illinois was sent home in the Round of 32 for the second straight year, as they struggled to figure out Houston’s defense. The Cougars are now in the Sweet 16 for the third-straight tournament.