Illinois coach: Technical foul 'killed momentum' vs. Houston

Illinois Fighting Illini guard RJ Melendez Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois coach says controversial technical foul 'killed momentum' vs. Houston

By Adam Stites | Last updated 3/20/22

The Houston Cougars earned a spot in the Sweet 16 with a 68-53 win against Illinois, but it was a technical foul in the second half that was the subject of discussion after the game.

With under nine minutes left in the game and Illinois trailing by six, Alfonso Plummer came up with a steal for the Fighting Illini. He passed ahead to a streaking RJ Melendez, who threw down a dunk to cut the lead to four. But the celebration was quickly cut short when Melendez was called for hanging on the rim.

wow. technical foul to Illinois for hanging on the rim? ridiculous #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/nv18K9NwgT
— Ted Budd (@TedBuddy8) March 20, 2022

Color commentator Reggie Miller was incensed by the call and Illinois coach Brad Underwood he was told by the officiating crew after the game that it was a mistake.

"[The official] told me he should never have called it," Underwood told Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "Maybe it's personal, I don't know. To call it like that, when a kid has a head of steam going, 100 miles per hour? We all talk about health and safety of the student-athletes. Come on.

"And then to kill momentum like that? Horrible."

Houston ended the game on a 19-8 run in the last seven minutes and advanced to a matchup against the winner of top-seeded Arizona against ninth-seeded TCU.

More must-reads: