An NCAA Tournament official collapsed during a Tuesday night game and was wheeled off the court on a stretcher.
Bert Smith was refereeing the men’s Elite Eight game between USC and Gonzaga in Indianapolis when he collapsed suddenly, without contact, and appeared to hit his head off the court.
Medical personnel attended to Smith, who was alert and sat up on the stretcher while leaving the floor.
Smith was in stable condition at halftime and was not taken a hospital, according to analyst Andy Katz.
Smith felt “lightheaded” before he fell and was being treated by trainers in a locker room, CBS analyst and former official Gene Steratore reported. A veteran ref, Smith was working his 70th game of the season and second career Elite Eight.
An alternate official, Tony Henderson, replaced Smith and the game continued, with the No. 1 seed Bulldogs taking a 49-30 halftime lead over the No. 6 seed Trojans.
