JACKSONVILLE – Chris Rastatter, Nathan Farrell and Vlad Voyard-Tadal were the officials who worked the Yale-LSU first-round NCAA tournament game here Thursday. So much for the rumor that it might be three guys in dark suits and sunglasses who would officiate the “FBI Invitational.”
But you didn’t need to go undercover or use a wiretap to see the talent and work ethic of LSU freshman Naz Reid of Asbury Park.
Reid, a projected NBA first-round pick had 14 points, including two clutch free throws in the final minute, and also had 10 rebounds to help the still Will Wade-less Tigers hold off 14th-seeded Yale, 79-74 in a first-round NCAA tournament game of the East Region. LSU (27-6) nearly blew an 18-point second-half lead as Yale (22-8) used a barrage of three-pointers to cut the deficit to three in the final minute.
LSU has been without head coach Wade since he was suspended by the university on March 8 for allegedly discussing potential payments for players on an FBI wiretap. To be fair, Yale’s basketball program isn’t in hot water, but its women’s soccer coach was indicted on wire fraud and cooperated with the FBI for leniency for his role in the recent college entrance scandal involving celebrity parents.
Reid said the players have vowed to “be the best version of ourselves and stay together and not listen to the outside noise.”
They did a great job of that in the first half, but late in the second half, that outside noise became the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena crowd roaring its approval for the underdog’s comeback.
Reid called Yale a “pretty tough, hard-nosed team who didn’t let up, and they were very competitive, and that’s something we are going to see throughout the whole March Madness.”
Alex Copeland scored 24 points for Yale, which was hurt by the fact that star Miye Oni shot 2-for-16 and 1-for-10 from long distance.
“We just woke up,” Yale forward Jordan Bruner said. “At halftime we were down 16 and you realize everything was slipping away. We didn’t want it to be like that.”
“It’s really just a different voice,” Reid said of interim coach Tony Benford, who is handling the team during Wade’s indefinite suspension. “They coach pretty much the same way and we all respect him as if he was coach Wade.”
“Naz has been great to coach,” Benford said. “He’s fun. He’s in tremendous shape. He’s really changed his body. We wanted to play through him. … I thought we did that establishing the paint points early, and Naz did a great job.”
“This is a brotherhood,” said Reid, who had an authoritative first-half dunk that immediately went viral. “You have to have each others’ backs.”
But you didn’t need to go undercover or use a wiretap to see the talent and work ethic of LSU freshman Naz Reid of Asbury Park.
Reid, a projected NBA first-round pick had 14 points, including two clutch free throws in the final minute, and also had 10 rebounds to help the still Will Wade-less Tigers hold off 14th-seeded Yale, 79-74 in a first-round NCAA tournament game of the East Region. LSU (27-6) nearly blew an 18-point second-half lead as Yale (22-8) used a barrage of three-pointers to cut the deficit to three in the final minute.
LSU has been without head coach Wade since he was suspended by the university on March 8 for allegedly discussing potential payments for players on an FBI wiretap. To be fair, Yale’s basketball program isn’t in hot water, but its women’s soccer coach was indicted on wire fraud and cooperated with the FBI for leniency for his role in the recent college entrance scandal involving celebrity parents.
Reid said the players have vowed to “be the best version of ourselves and stay together and not listen to the outside noise.”
They did a great job of that in the first half, but late in the second half, that outside noise became the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena crowd roaring its approval for the underdog’s comeback.
Reid called Yale a “pretty tough, hard-nosed team who didn’t let up, and they were very competitive, and that’s something we are going to see throughout the whole March Madness.”
Alex Copeland scored 24 points for Yale, which was hurt by the fact that star Miye Oni shot 2-for-16 and 1-for-10 from long distance.
“We just woke up,” Yale forward Jordan Bruner said. “At halftime we were down 16 and you realize everything was slipping away. We didn’t want it to be like that.”
“It’s really just a different voice,” Reid said of interim coach Tony Benford, who is handling the team during Wade’s indefinite suspension. “They coach pretty much the same way and we all respect him as if he was coach Wade.”
“Naz has been great to coach,” Benford said. “He’s fun. He’s in tremendous shape. He’s really changed his body. We wanted to play through him. … I thought we did that establishing the paint points early, and Naz did a great job.”
“This is a brotherhood,” said Reid, who had an authoritative first-half dunk that immediately went viral. “You have to have each others’ backs.”
