Northwestern coach Chris Collins had to be restrained by his players after being ejected at the end of Wednesday night’s 105-96 overtime loss to Purdue.
In a bizarre scene, Collins ran on the court with several seconds remaining to argue with referee Courtney Green about a previous call. He got hit with a technical foul and was ejected with 1.7 seconds remaining.
The clock expired, but officials put 1.7 seconds back and awarded Purdue four free throws (Wildcats guard Boo Buie also picked up a technical in all the commotion).
As a livid Collins walked off the court, various Wildcats players and a couple of assistant coaches walked him away from the officiating crew. He stopped to greet Purdue coach Matt Painter and Boilermakers star Zach Edey before heading to the locker room, waving his arms to the booing fans at Purdue’s Mackey Complex.
Northwestern head coach Chris Collins is ejected with 1.7 seconds remaining in OT at Purdue. pic.twitter.com/UqTWKKn9gF
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) February 1, 2024
Here’s another view of Collins as he stormed the court and confronted Green.
It’s not hard to understand Collins’ frustration with the officiating. Purdue shot 46 free throws, to only eight for Northwestern.
Fans seemed to enjoy watching Collins’ outburst, and many agreed he had a right to be furious.
Let them know how you feel coach! The ref blew the call, big time.
— coolrog1102 (@RogerMc12916079) February 1, 2024
This is MLB-manager-esque. If there was dirt he would have kicked some at the ref.
— Daniel Mogollon (@DanTheB1GMan) February 1, 2024
[Photo Credit: Big Ten Network]