Court manufacturer: 'No loose floorboards' where UNC's Armando Bacot got injured vs. Kansas
The court manufacturer at the men's Final Four of the NCAA Tournament said that there were no loose floorboards at the spot where North Carolina's Armando Bacot injured his right ankle.
Bacot went down in the final seconds of Monday night's championship game — a 72-69 Kansas win — and was forced to exit. Videos of the moment went viral on social media along with speculation that faulty floorboard structuring was the cause of the fall.
"The court's absorption characteristics are by design, and there were no loose floorboards or panels within the court, as confirmed by an expert technician who was present at every game of the men's Final Four to ensure the quality and safety of the floor," Jeff Krejsa, vice president of marketing and strategy for Connor Sports, told ESPN.
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"I thought I made a good move," Bacot, the 6-foot-10 center said Monday. "I thought I really got the angle I wanted. I thought it would have been an easy basket. And then I just rolled my ankle."
Connor Sports has been the official court supplier of March Madness and the Final Four since 2006.
Contact Analis Bailey at aabailey@usatoday.com or on Twitter @analisbailey.