During the men's National Championship Game on Monday night, North Carolina star big man Armando Bacot injured himself late in the second half when he rolled over his ankle. At the moment of his injury, a floorboard on the court under his feet appeared to move slightly.
Days later, the manufacturer of the court at the Final Four has said that there weren't any loose floorboards on the court where the injury took place.
"The court's absorption characteristics are by design, and there were no loose floorboards or panels within the court, as confirmed by an expert technician who was present at every game of the men's Final Four to ensure the quality and safety of the floor," Connor Sports vice president of marketing and strategy Jeff Krejsa told ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Bacot's injury revealed no structural damage and the North Carolina star didn't point out the floorboard during his postgame press conference. The Tar Heels star did leave the Caesars Superdome in a walking boot, but that may have been precautionary because he had injured the same ankle against Duke in Saturday's Final Four matchup.
"The Championship floor, as is all the floors, is a panel system engineered for athlete safety and comfort, achieved by its ability to absorb impact forces as an athlete jumps or pivots abruptly," Krejsa added. "While also ensuring that other players nearby are not negatively affected."
On the pivotal play in which he suffered the injury, Bacot ended up turning the ball over and Kansas' David McCormack connected on a hook shot on the ensuing possession, which helped clinched the eventual 72-69 win for the Jayhawks.
ESPN's Thamel also spoke with North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who said that the school didn't follow up with the NCAA with anything pertaining to the court.
"We played two games over that space," Cunningham told ESPN. "Just an unfortunate thing at a critical time."
