Sunday's Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball championship game between Duquesne and VCU was interrupted by confetti falling from the ceiling of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
It happened about two minutes into the second half with Duquesne holding a 38-23 lead. VCU had the ball on offense when long streams of confetti began falling down on the court and the fans in the crowd, forcing the officials to stop play.
"Confetti is falling on the floor! They're gonna have to stop play! We can't see our notes! The players can't work on this court! CONFETTI IS EVERYWHERE! SOMEBODY HIT THE WRONG BUTTON!" - Kevin Harlan 🏀🎊🎙️🤣pic.twitter.com/ExbDTlMJJX
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 17, 2024
We would guess that the confetti was intended to be dropped after the game was over. Looks like someone jumped the gun on this, and will likely be having a conversation with their boss very soon.
Meanwhile, Kevin Harlan displayed his versatility by not letting the distraction prevent him from delivering a brilliant call before he and his partner broke down in hysterics:
"My goodness. Oh my gosh! They have confetti falling right now! Confetti is falling on the floor! They're gonna have to stop play! We can't see our notes! The players can't work on this court! Confetti is everywhere! Somebody hit the wrong button!
Now that's something you don't see every day, but there's a reason why they call this part of the college basketball season "March Madness".
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time we have seen confetti interrupt a basketball game. Last April, an NBA playoff game between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks was stopped when small pieces of confetti began floating around.
As luck would have it, VCU went on a 9-0 run after the play stoppage to cut the Duquesne lead to 38-32, leading CBS Sports to display a graphic detailing the team stats "since confetti fell"
CBS had a "Since Confetti Fell" graphic showing a 9-0 VCU run in the A-10 Championship. 🏀📺😂 https://t.co/b6ecfeBdQE pic.twitter.com/5YDalb3D0F
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 17, 2024
Fortunately, a Duquesne timeout allowed them to regain their composure and take back the momentum in the game. They went on to win the game 57-51 and earn an NCAA tournament bid for the first time since 1977. As it turns out, there was still some confetti left for the postgame celebration.
"First time in 47 years! Duquesne is going to the NCAA Championship Tournament! The A-10 champion Dukes of Duquesne! Now the confetti falls at the right time." - Kevin Harlan 🏀🎊🎙️🕺 https://t.co/b6ecfeBLGc pic.twitter.com/WK4pFXa8GJ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 17, 2024
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
