Ed Cooley and the Georgetown Hoyas nearly suffered an inexcusable loss against the Merrimack Warriors on Wednesday night at home. The Hoyas escaped with a two-point win, but the game was full of controversial calls down the stretch. The Merrimack basketball team is relatively unknown but won the Northeast Conference last year. However they were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to their transition to Division 1, so Fairleigh Dickson got in over them and had that stunning upset of Purdue.
After the game, Merrimack basketball head coach Joe Gallo ripped into the officials after a questionable technical foul call for him throwing a towel behind his head (h/t The Mack Report).
“In a two-point game, in a Big East game, there's no way that guy is calling that. And he wouldn't even give me the decency to speak to him after the game…That's why you see all these upsets in the NCAA Tournament. Because these guys are spoon-fed some calls in these non-league games…If that was a national CBS game, Georgetown vs. Merrimack, with the whole world watching, that guy ain't calling that foul…For him to do that and take the game out of the kids' hands was very unfortunate.”
Merrimack coach Joe Gallo on the technical foul called against him with 1:39 left in Merrimack's 69-67 loss to Georgetown. After Budd Clark was called for a travel, Gallo picked up a towel, wiped his hands, and tossed it back to the bench. pic.twitter.com/GNcO4RPqFi
— The Mack Report (@TheMackReports) November 30, 2023
Georgetown got the win and survived despite a terrific effort from the Merrimack basketball program.
College basketball world agrees with Merrimack head coach
The words from Joe Gallo are certainly valid, and the college basketball world has been quick to come to support after the Merrimack basketball program lost the game.
Watching live, that was one of the worst technical foul calls I have ever seen. Not only did the refs not try and get an explanation from Gallo, they made the game about them. When refs call unneeded technical fouls, that’s what happens. Utter embarrassment from the refs in that… https://t.co/fBV2hN1uhL
— Sean Paul (@SeanPaulCBB) November 30, 2023
Joe Gallo is absolutely right. He got screwed and got hit with a technical when he shouldn’t have.
And it’s not like Gallo is a guy who relentlessly works the refs. https://t.co/oOtHG7OYfZ
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) November 30, 2023
Joe Gallo is 💯 I love it that he got his feelings off his chest publicly. He did it respectfully and professionally. Is it a finable offense? Maybe. If so, it's worth it. I've seen HOF coaches cry like babies and curse like hell and not get T'd up. Gotta love those Jersey Guys https://t.co/GYzSviM5Vg
— Bryan DeNovellis (@bryandeno) November 30, 2023
This is as cogent and nuanced of a case as I’ve ever heard a coach make about the specific nature of how bad officiating works to hurt small conference programs. Kudos to him for making it. Really good stuff from Gallo. Deft, subtle, convincing. https://t.co/ipQbLrQEli
— Curry Hicks Sage (@CurryHicksSage) November 30, 2023
Totally agree with @JoeyGall0
He picked up a towel. Cleaned his hands and threw it behind the bench. Traditionally there is a trainer/manager there in charge of these towels. Also. Referees DO NOT want them near playing surface. Another reason to move them. Coach G is SPOT ON! https://t.co/iJhtS7CR4m— Kevin Driscoll (@_KevinDriscoll) November 30, 2023
Another tough pill to swallow for the Merrimack basketball team was that they had numerous chances to win the game in the final seconds but missed a handful of layups in a bizarre sequence.
🎥 Georgetown survives in the final seconds to Merrimack.
pic.twitter.com/7w9GoBklkT— Big East Vault (@BigEastVault) November 30, 2023
Still, the Merrimack basketball team has every right to be upset with the call, and this is something that should be looked at.
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