ESPNCollege basketball is back, and notorious referee Teddy Valentine is back with it. “TV Teddy” is currently working the North Carolina vs. Stanford game at the “Maui Invitational” in Asheville, N.C. and really made his presence known early in the second half.
Just minutes into the half, Ziaire Williams made a great play on a UNC pass across the court, intercepting it and finishing with a big dunk. He hung on the rim a bit after the dunk, but it certainly wasn’t the excessive kind of display that is usually subject to a technical foul. And yet, there was TV Teddy.
Williams was hit with a tech, and absolutely could not believe it. And for good reason. Fans online watching the game matched his reaction.
The call gave R.J. Davis a free throw to cut Stanford’s lead down to 39-34, and UNC got the ball on the ensuing possession, drawing a foul and getting a pair of free throws from Leaky Black. North Carolina certainly took advantage of the sequence.
TEDDY VALENTINE IS BACK! pic.twitter.com/m0X0rHXNtk
— Troy Machir (@TroyMachir) December 1, 2020
The game remains extremely close. As of this writing, the two teams are tied at 60, with the Tar Heels knotting things up moments ago. If it comes down to a few points, you’ll see plenty of Stanford fans pointing to Teddy Valentine’s call.
The dunk by Williams pushed Stanford’s lead to six at the time, which remains the biggest lead by either side of the second half.
Stanford’s Daejon Davis leads all scorers with 18 points, fueling this potential upset bid, while three other Cardinal are in double digits, including Williams. Caleb Love leads No. 14 North Carolina with 14 points. We have less than four minutes to play in Asheville today. ESPN has coverage of today’s tight game.
