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Mike DeCourcy says Don’t Blame Officials for Technical Foul

Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News says you can’t blame the officials for the technical foul when Isaac Humphries slammed the ball down with excitement after making a big play vs. Texas A&M.

He says, “And let’s not pretend this was on the officials.”

Several teammates celebrated with those you’re-the-man chest shoves, and Humphries reacted with his own gesture of masculinity: He threw the ball hard off the court.

In competitive basketball, that is inescapably a technical foul. And Humphries knew it immediately.

As soon as the ball bounced high off the floor, he was aware he’d made an egregious error. This was not only a technical foul that would give Texas A&M a chance to take the lead with two free throws — Danuel House made both to put the Aggies up a point — but also represented Humphries’ fifth personal. Which meant he wouldn’t get the chance to redeem himself on this night by making the free throws he’d earned or perhaps offering a defensive presence on the final possession.

On Kentucky’s bench for the final seconds, Humphries was obviously agonizing over his mistake. It hurt more after classmate Skal Labissiere made only one of two free throws and tied the game, giving A&M the chance to win it with the final trip.

When freshman center Tyler Davis tipped in the ball for a game-winning basket just before the buzzer — pushing Labissiere out of the way — A&M had a 79-77 victory.

“He’s still in the locker room saying he’s sorry,” star point guard Tyler Ulis told Sports Illustrated’s Brian Hamilton after the game.

Read the entire article by clicking here.

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