Water Bottle Fury: Rick Barnes Erupts Over No-Call in Tennessee’s Nail-Biting Defeat at Auburn
Rick Barnes argued that Felix Okpara was fouled before a crucial late-game travel call during Tennessee basketball’s narrow 53-51 loss to Auburn on Saturday. Barnes claimed that Auburn’s Johni Broome grabbed Okpara’s shoulders, causing him to lose balance and commit the turnover with 1:32 remaining.
“I thought he was held,” Barnes said. “It’s a physical game, but from what I saw, Broome had two hands on his shoulders.” Barnes expressed his frustration by slamming his water bottle on the sideline after the call, which gave Auburn possession while Tennessee led 51-49. The Tigers capitalized, scoring the final four points to secure the win.
Barnes called a timeout with 1:34 left to set up an inbound play. Igor Milicic Jr. passed to Okpara, who was closely guarded by Broome. Replays showed Broome’s right hand gripping Okpara’s shoulder, disrupting his balance and leading to the travel call.
“He definitely traveled, but whether he had help doing it, you’ll have to look at it,” Barnes said. He emphasized that while Okpara committed the violation, Broome’s contact should have been called a foul. Okpara reacted visibly to the call, and Barnes mimed a hugging gesture to officials, signaling his belief that a foul occurred.
Had Broome been called for a foul, Okpara, a 68.4% free-throw shooter, could have extended Tennessee’s lead from the line. Instead, Auburn gained possession. Jordan Gainey fouled Broome, who missed his first free throw. Zakai Zeigler’s layup attempt rimmed out, and Auburn’s Miles Kelly hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to make it 52-51. Milicic missed a driving shot, and Tahaad Pettiford sealed the win with a free throw. Barnes called a timeout with 9.4 seconds left, but Zeigler’s final 3-point attempt fell short.
