Northwestern coach Chris Collins ejected in OT loss to No. 2 Purdue for arguing with officials as game ended
Chris Collins was upset after Purdue shot 38 more free throws than Northwestern did in the overtime loss
As far as ejections go, Chris Collins played his perfectly on Wednesday night.
The Northwestern head coach was tossed at the very end of their 105-96 overtime loss to No. 2 Purdue on Wednesday in what was a wild ending in West Lafayette. Collins, after Northwestern’s final shot attempt was off the mark in the final seconds, came storming out on the court screaming at official Courtney Green.
Green wasted little time and threw Collins out of the game, even though the buzzer had sounded and the clock hit zero. Still fuming, Collins had to be held back and escorted off the court by Wildcats guard Brooks Barnhizer. Before he could leave, though, Collins made sure to stop and congratulate Purdue coach Matt Painter, star Zach Edey and others. He then gave the Boilermakers fans one final salute before hitting the tunnel.
Chris Collins gets ejected, a dramatic thriller:
1. Runs onto the court during play
2. Gets right in ref’s face
3. Has to be held back
4. Screams “I’M GOOD!”
4. Still shakes Matt Painter’s hand
5. Daps up Zach Edey
6. Pumps up crowd as he exits
No notes. pic.twitter.com/edXFtNYTZl— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) February 1, 2024
Purdue outscored Northwestern by nine in the extra period, and they shot 13 free throws to Northwestern’s three in the final five minutes. Edey dropped a game-high 30 points, 10 of which came in overtime, and had 15 rebounds in the win for the Boilermakers.
The free throw discrepancy in overtime was something that carried on throughout the entire game. Purdue took 46 free throws, while Northwestern attempted just eight shots from the stripe as a team.
“I'm not gonna go into officiating," Collins said after the game, via the Lafayette Journal and Courier. "We have great officiating. I just don't know if I've ever seen a box score like that ... I don't know if you've ever seen a disparity like that in a Big Ten game."
Purdue has now won six straight heading into Sunday’s matchup with No. 6 Wisconsin. Perhaps most importantly for the Boilermakers, though, was that they’ve now avenged their earlier loss to Northwestern in Evanston in December. Northwestern is now 15-6 on the season.
"Obviously Purdue, give them all the credit," Collins said, via the Journal and Courier. "Obviously for them to go to the line 50 times and their aggressiveness. Their physicality makes it really hard."
Northwestern will take on Minnesota next on Saturday afternoon.
