UNC-Asheville Player Ejected From Big South Championship Game For Ridiculous Shove

Getty Image / Isaiah Vazquez

Sunday was supposed to be a joyous occasion for the UNC-Asheville basketball program. The Bulldogs were favored heading into their Big South Tournament championship game against Longwood.

But, it was a complete and total disaster. They were dominated by Longwood, won’t be going to the NCAA Tournament. and had a player embarrassingly ejected from the game for an unsportsmanlike act.

This game quickly got out of reach for UNC-Asheville. The Bulldogs quickly found themselves down 29-12 after the first twelve minutes, and never recovered. Longwood cruised to an 84-59 win and will go dancing.

But, that’s not why people are talking about this game. It’s this egregious foul by Fletcher Abee that has people talking.

Yeah, you have to be ejected for that. That was Szymon Zapala underneath the basket for Longwood who was pushed.

The game was pretty much over at this point. Fletcher Abee is one of their best shooters, at over 41% from three on the year. He averaged just over ten points a game, and his scoring would’ve been key to any comeback.

Instead, their NCAA Tournament hopes are over. And, since they weren’t the regular season conference champions, they don’t have a guaranteed path in the NIT, either! At 22-12, their season could be over! If so, that’s a terrible way to go out.

Better luck next year, Bulldogs. And, a congrats to Longwood, who will be making their second tournament appearance in school history.