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Ref Appeared to Fake a Court Issue to Get Bench Player a March Madness Appearance

This official appeared to go above and beyond to get this young athlete an unforgettable moment.

Josh Wilson

Liberty lost big in the opening round of March Madness
Liberty lost big in the opening round of March Madness / March Madness ref
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With under a minute of play left between Liberty and Oregon, there wasn't much left to play for. The game was not close, with the Ducks winning by 29 in the end to advance to the second round of March Madness.

Rather than mailing in the last minute, which was likely to be free of dramatics or fouls, one referee noticed the importance of the moment for one player who was waiting to check in as a substitute. The official appeared to fake a wet spot on the floor so he could stop the game and ensure the substitute would be able to check in.

Had there been no stoppage in the final minute, it's possible the Flames player—redshirt freshman JC Shirer Jr.—would not have been able to see game minutes.

Check out that wholesome moment below:

The ref and Shirer exchanged a brief handshake, an apparent acknowledgement that the "wet spot" wasn't real. Quite classy all around.

While referees faking a wet spot would generally be frowned upon as getting too involved in the contest, this was a no harm, no foul moment with the game barreling toward an undeniable Oregon win. It got Shirer a very cool moment he'll be able to talk about for a lifetime.

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Josh Wilson
JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.

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