Referee Bert Smith Collapsed During The Elite 8 Game Between Gonzaga And USC

The attention of the country is on Indianapolis during the month of March as the 2021 NCAA Tournament occurs in a central location for the first time. While much of the focus is on the players and coaches on the floor during game action, the referees play a pivotal role in the process. On Tuesday evening, veteran referee Bert Smith came into the limelight for scary reasons when he collapsed to the floor early in the first half of an Elite 8 game between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the USC Trojans.

Play was immediately halted at the 15:44 mark, with trainers and medical professionals surrounding Smith in a hurry. It was quite a scary scene, however, as he seemingly hit his head on the floor while falling backwards.

Eventually, Smith was able to sit up and he seemed to be breathing and talking throughout the process. A stretcher was brought out to transport him from the floor but, by the time Smith exited the floor, he was alert and sitting up in what appeared to be good spirits.

Following the incident, Gene Steratore, working as part of the TBS broadcast, indicated that Smith was “feeling light-headed” and “he is stable.”

As far as the game is concerned, there was a replacement official in the building at Lucas Oil Stadium, and he was able to step in. Still, the far more important thing is Smith’s health, and we wish him the best as he is evaluated and hopefully feels better in short order.