Gonzaga-Pittsburgh halted due to unsafe playing conditions
Three years after concerns about player safety doomed the idea of playing college basketball on the deck of an aircraft carrier, the organizers of the Armed Forces Classic learned another lesson about the challenges of holding a game at an unconventional location.
Turns out playing on dry land isn’t any safer.
Referees halted Friday’s game between Gonzaga and Pittsburgh at halftime because heat and humidity had rendered the floor dangerously slippery at a tiny arena on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan. Pittsburgh led Gonzaga 37-35 when the game was called.
While players on both sides appeared to want to keep playing in order to not disappoint the hundreds of Marines in the bleachers, the decision to err on the side of caution was clearly the correct one. In fact, the floor was so slick that if anything referees probably endangered the players by not calling the game sooner.
Despite a pair of giant fans set up at both baselines in hopes of keeping the floor dry, neither Gonzaga nor Pittsburgh players could gain any traction when they tried to plant or cut. They slipped and fell so often that fans on both sides begged for the game to be stopped on social media and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas quipped on the broadcast, “It looks like an ice rink out there.”
The most frightening moment came midway through the first half when Pittsburgh’s James Robinson slipped while back pedaling and fell face first on the floor, opening up a cut that sent blood streaming down the right side of his face. Robinson returned to the game before halftime, but conditions only worsened, making elite athletes resemble clumsy kids at an ice skating birthday party.
When the teams returned to the floor to start the second half, referees informed them they were stopping the game and a PA announcer made the announcement to the crowd. Then Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon and Gonzaga coach Mark Few both grabbed a microphone to express their disappointment to the crowd.
Said Dixon, “We’re disappointed we can’t continue to play, but that’s the situation we’re in.”
Said Few, “First of all, we’re sorry. We wish we could have finished this game. That’s what we wanted to do as a small token for you guys. I just want you to know in the short time we’ve been here, the impact you’ve had on myself, my players, that’s something we’ll cherish for a long time.”
The entire situation was reminiscent of the weather issues that plagued the aircraft carrier games three years ago.
One didn’t start: A matchup between Ohio State and Marquette was canceled about an hour after it was supposed to tip off because condensation made the court aboard the USS Yorktown too slick. Another didn’t finish: Organizers called the game between Florida and Georgetown at halftime that same night because the floor aboard the USS Bataan had also become too wet.
The third game was delayed two days because of rain but it was completed under a cloudless sky aboard the USS Midway. A San Diego State team that relied on its perimeter game shot 1 of 18 from 3-point range and 14 of 33 from the foul line, unable to get to the rim against Syracuse’s packed-in zone and unable to shoot straight as a result of the gusty ocean breeze.
The team that will probably be more disappointed about Friday’s game ending early is Pittsburgh, which was denied a chance at a marquee victory. Projected to finish 10th in the ACC this season, the Panthers looked far better than that in the first half, leading most of the way despite 15 points from Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer.
At the end of the day, though, it was better for both teams that the game was called.
Better a canceled game and a disappointed crowd than a player flying home with his arm in a splint or his knee in a brace.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
