In the second half of Oklahoma’s resounding win over Texas A&M in the SEC tournament, Nijel Pack hit the ground hard. Aggies guard Marcus Hill collided with him while driving to the basket with 5:46 to play and their heads hit, and Pack hit the court with a bloody nose.
No foul was called on the play, but the officials went to the monitor and called a Flagrant 1 foul. That led to a debate on the SEC Network broadcast about whether the play warranted such a call.
Play-by-play commentator Tom Hart and color analyst Dane Bradshaw discussed the upgrade, which led to two Oklahoma free throws in the blowout game. Hart was confused about how the officials came to the conclusion since they’re not supposed to judge intent while declaring a Flagrant 1.
“Dane, you’re going to have to help me understand how that can be a flagrant foul for Marcus Hill,” Hart said. “Unless they assume, and I know intent is not part of the rule, that he chose to throw his head at Nijel Pack’s head.”
Bradshaw then said it came down to the fact the play drew blood. He wondered if that was a deciding factor for the officials to call the F1.
“I think it’s all about the blood on the court,” Bradshaw said. “The result to the person that was offended – in this case, Pack, of course. When you see that right there, bloodied up, that’s what they’ll elevate to a Flagrant 1.”
However, Hart noted it appeared incidental and that Hill didn’t try to hit Pack in the face. He then posed an important question: What if both players bled as a result of the play?
“But it’s just contact,” Hart said. “He wasn’t punched in the face. It was just head-to-head contact. Let me put it the other way. What if Marcus Hill was bleeding? What if they were both bleeding from the nose? Then, we got two of them?”
Bradshaw agreed that it wouldn’t result in two flagrants, proving Hart’s point. But Bradshaw also noted much less contact that has been deemed a flagrant foul, while noting the sequence didn’t appear to meet two key criteria: not being a legitimate play on the ball, or a hold or push from behind.
Regardless, the referees have the right to upgrade a call on a “basketball play” as they see fit, Bradshaw said. Since the hit drew blood, that was likely the reason.
“By rule, they’re not supposed to judge intent,” Bradshaw said. “A lot of times, the bottom line is, they can make something – when it’s still a basketball play, you say, ‘Oh, it’s just a basketball play.’ They have the right to upgrade it to a Flagrant 1 when it becomes blood and the severity like you saw there.”
Pack’s availability will be an important question for Oklahoma on Friday after the Sooners cruised past Texas A&M 83-63 in the second round of the SEC tournament. OU will take on Arkansas Friday night in Nashville.