NCAA removes a referee DURING a March Madness game as it’s revealed official has a ‘background conflict’

The NCAA was dramatically forced to switch out one of the officials at a first round March Madness game on Saturday because of a background conflict.

Tommi Paris was removed from the game between Chattanooga and N.C. State after it was discovered in an online profile that she received a master’s degree from Chattanooga.

She was quickly replaced by Angelica Suffren, who had worked the first contest at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina.

‘There was a switch of game officials at halftime of the Chattanooga-N.C. State first-round game because it was learned after the game had started that Umpire 2 Tommi Paris had a background conflict that, if known, would prevent her from working that assigned game,’ the NCAA said in a statement.

The NCAA asks all officials who are being considered for the NCAA Tournament to disclose school affiliations to avoid potential conflicts. In this case, it wasn’t disclosed. 

‘They literally just… got me in the locker room and said they were making a change,’ Chattanooga coach Shawn Poppie said of when he learned at halftime.

‘I don’t know what happened. I didn’t see anything specific. 

‘Maybe the second time in my career that’s happened. But the other one there was an injury, so you knew. But this one, I’m not really sure.’

Suffren, who worked the earlier Green Bay-Tennessee game, was on the court for the second half of Chattanooga-N.C. State game. Danielle Jackson had been listed as the game’s standby official.

The decision to send Suffren back out to the court came ‘because it provided the most on-court experience and allowed the game to maintain a full officiating crew, plus standby,’ the NCAA’s statement said.

Aziaha James scored each of her 19 points in the second half as N.C. State won 64-45

Poppie said: ‘I thought that’s what standby was for. But I’m new to this thing, too. We’re all learning. So I’m not exactly sure what happened.’

Aziaha James scored each of her 19 points in the second half as N.C. State pulled away from Chattanooga for a 64-45 victory.

Saniya Rivers scored 16 points and River Baldwin had 10 points and 11 rebounds, boosting N.C. State coach Wes Moore to a victory against his former team.

Next up for No. 3 seed N.C. State is ex-Wolfpack coach Kellie Harper and sixth-seeded Tennessee on Monday. The Lady Vols advanced with a 92-63 victory over Green Bay.

The winner goes to the Sweet 16 in Portland, Oregon.