Colorado State guard Nique Clifford has the Rams smelling an upset over the West Region’s No. 4 seed Maryland with 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists in the first half. The Rams took a 37-30 lead into halftime as Clifford beat the first-half buzzer with a layup over Maryland’s Julian Reese.
However, the chatter at the break is about Clifford’s elbow to the head of Maryland guard Jordan Geronimo in the first half. Somehow, the contact went unnoticed by the officials despite Geronimo crashing to the floor.
Geronimo got attention briefly after a dead ball. Officials went straight to the inbound without a review. CBS Sports rules analyst and former official Gene Steratore was shocked the game officials did not stop play to review the contact. Steratore added a Flagrant-1, and there was enough forceful contact to consider a Flagrant-2 and ejection.
Geronimo and Maryland head coach Kevin Willard didn’t stress the issue. Yet, Clifford acknowledged he hit Geronimo with his elbow during an on-court interview with CBS Sports broadcast.
In an age where the NCAA has stressed excessive and unnecessary contact, it’s hard to fathom Sunday’s officials missed an opportunity to review Clifford’s elbow.
