After the first quarter, both SMU and Memphis assumed everything would calm down. Nine fouls in 10 minutes was a lot. But everyone, officials included, regroups after each quarter. Surely, someone in the three-member officiating squad would say: Let’s let them play.
In the second quarter, the teams made it 90 seconds before the next whistle. The next one came 21 seconds later. And another 29 seconds after that.
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“It was so hard to just play basketball, to just play free, without a ref blowing a whistle,” said Ki’Ari Cain, the only Memphis starter not to foul out of that January 2024 game.
“It just felt like — don’t touch anybody,” said
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