The 2013-2014 season came to a disappointing end for Cincinnati on Thursday as the 5th-seeded Bearcats were upset by 12th-seeded Harvard in their first game of the NCAA Tournament. Mick Cronin’s team lost the lead roughly five minutes into the game and never got it back. A bizarre technical foul early on didn’t help.
With Harvard leading 12-6 at the first TV timeout in the opening half, Cronin brought junior forward Jermaine Sanders into the game. The Bearcats were immediately called for a technical foul and Harvard was given two free throws.
As Sam Cooper of The Dagger explained, the person who filled out Cincinnati’s scorebook forgot to include Sanders on the team roster. That error results in an administrative technical foul if the player enters the game.
Harvard’s Siyani Chambers knocked down one of two free throws, so we’re certainly not going to say the technical cost Cincinnati the game. The Bearcats went on to lose 61-57 and were essentially outplayed throughout the entire contest. Still, that’s not going to make Cronin happy. You certainly don’t want to show up to a tournament game unprepared.
