Illinois' Alan Griffin channels Christian Laettner, stomps on Purdue opponent's chest
Aminu Timberlake can sympathize.
Purdue guard Sasha Stefanovic paid the price for a diving layup in traffic against Illinois on Tuesday. He fell to the court after sinking the first-half basket and landed on the right foot of Illinois guard Alan Griffin.
Griffin did not appreciate the incidental contact. He gained the leverage to remove his right foot from underneath Stefanovic’s torso by stomping on his chest with his left.
"That's just absolutely ridiculous, uncalled for and he should be gone."
Illinois' Alan Griffin was ejected after stepping on a Purdue player. pic.twitter.com/LzG9GWqkap— ESPN (@espn) January 22, 2020
Officials reviewed the play and ejected Griffin via a flagrant 2 foul.
This looks familiar
The move rings an immediate bell for fans familiar with their college basketball history.
Duke great Christian Laettner delivered a similar foot stomp to Kentucky’s Aminu Timberlake during the iconic 1992 Eastern Regional Final that saw Laettner secure a Final Four bid with arguably the biggest shot in college basketball history en route to a second straight national title
Some argue that Laettner, who received a technical foul but wasn’t ejected for the stomp, shouldn’t have even been on the court for his legacy-defining performance because of the play.
But he was, and history was made.
Griffin didn’t get the same benefit of the doubt on Tuesday in a decidedly lower-stakes contest.
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