Getty Image / Bryan M Bennett
In a week where many basketball fans were talking about Patrick Beverly shoving Deandre Ayton from behind, college basketball may have actually manage to outdo its professional counterpart in the ridiculous scuffles department.
Today, the Syracuse Orange welcomed the Bryant Bulldogs to the Carrier Dome for a game that they were expected to win pretty convincingly. The game didn’t play out that way as Cuse never held a lead in the first half.
Things also got really out of hand in that first half.
With about 7 and a half minutes left in the first half, Syracuse’s Judah Mintz slapped Bryant’s Doug Edert in the head on his way to his team’s huddle. Edert returned fire, slapping Mintz in the head before their teammates got involved. Both players were ejected as a result of the incident.
Things getting out of control up in Syracuse.
Cuse guard Judah Mintz slaps Bryant's Doug Edert and then Edert comes right back with a slap on Mintz as both benches clear.
Both players were ejected.@NBC10 pic.twitter.com/BikzSj1HWl— Joe Kayata (@NBC10_Joe) November 26, 2022
Bryant went on to win the game 73-72 on a buzzer-beating layup.
Many college basketball fans will likely recognize Edert because of the part he played in last year’s incredible NCAA Tournament run by St Peter’s. This season he is averaging 11.2 points per game as an important member of a solid Bryant squad that has put together a 5-1 record to start the season.
Mintz is currently leading Syracuse in scoring with an average of 18 points per game.
In the world of sports, we see some pretty ridiculous things, but slapping your opponent in the middle of a basketball games has to rate pretty highly on the ridiculousness scale. Now both of these players will have to hope that ridiculousness doesn’t force their team to play without a key player for any longer than they did today.