Tuesday night’s Elite Eight game between Gonzaga and USC had quite a frightening moment with the collapse of referee Bert Smith. Here’s a shot of him falling down:
Bert Smith, veteran NCAA official, just collapsed on the court. He's now on his feet. pic.twitter.com/BOhBvJT01U
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 30, 2021
And here’s how the game was stopped:
A scary scene in Indy. Official Bert Smith, in his 2nd Elite 8, has just collapsed on the court. Medical personnel on scene bringing out the stretcher. Hope he’s ok 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/oggWUIMizJ
— Anthony Bellino (@ACBellino) March 30, 2021
Here’s Smith being stretchered off:
Referee Bert Smith was stretched off after collapsing in the USC-Gonzaga game.
Hope he's okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/WZXo7V7nbv
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 30, 2021
CBS/Turner’s Gene Steratore later offered an update on Smith, saying Smith was feeling “light-headed.” Here’s hoping that this isn’t too serious for him.
Update: Here are two later notes on Smith:
Bert Smith is alert and stable and will not be transported to a hospital, per @TheAndyKatz https://t.co/0jPshOgbze
— Bleacher Report CBB (@br_CBB) March 31, 2021
The official update from NCAA on Bert Smith, the official who collapsed during Gonzaga-USC. pic.twitter.com/mfnESkeIQn
— Brian Hamilton (@_Brian_Hamilton) March 31, 2021
So that’s good to hear. But this is still a tough situation. Our thoughts go out to Smith and his family and friends.
[Bleacher Report on Twitter]
