Tag: Fran Fraschilla

Hunter Dickinson getting ejected from Kansas-Duke surprised ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla

Did Hunter Dickinson deserve to get ejected for this?

During one of the biggest men’s college basketball games of the 2024 season so far, Kansas star center Hunter Dickinson was assessed a flagrant 2 technical foul and ejected from the contest against Duke.

The two college hoops powerhouses faced off in the Terry’s Chocolate Vegas Showdown on Tuesday night.

Late in the game’s second half, Dickinson and Duke forward Maliq Brown got tangled up on the ground after what was a foul on the latter.

However, the entire sequence got upended when Dickinson’s foot struck Brown in the head while the two were down on the court.

The officiating crew judged that Dickinson’s action was bad enough for an ejection and sent him out of the game early with the flagrant 2 technical foul, which surprised ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla.

“The rule is it has to be severe and extreme. I would’ve given it a flagrant 1,” Fraschilla said on the game broadcast. “I’m surprised it’s a flagrant 2.”

Kansas still held on for a razor-thin victory against Duke, 75-72, but Dickinson’s ejection will loom large over this whole affair.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla Rips into Texas Athletics

Texas once again lost at home last night, this time to Baylor. During the game, ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla gave his opinion on Texas athletics.

Texas once again lost at home last night, this time to the top-ranked team in the country, Baylor. While the game itself was a disaster, something possibly overshadowed it from the ESPN broadcast.

Playing the latter part of the Big Monday doubleheader, Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla were the play by play and color commentator. In the middle of the first half, Fraschilla had some comments on the state of Texas’ athletic program.

“Texas has been in the past about excellence, and let’s be honest. Most of their major sports are not very good right now,” said Fraschilla.

He got more specific and mentioned specific sports saying “7-5 in football doesn’t cut it. Women’s basketball is ok, baseball is horrible. That’s not Texas athletics.”

To some extent, Fraschilla is correct. The football season was not what was expected from the Longhorns this season, even if the Alamo Bowl victory over Utah carries momentum into the 2020 season. Getting to the Big 12 championship game and winning the Sugar Bowl in 2018 was nice, but as of now, that season has been a one-off from years of average to losing seasons.

When Fraschilla says women’s basketball is “ok,” there is room for debate because the Longhorns have made it to the NCAA tournament 10 out of the last 11 seasons. Not just losing in the first weekend either, they have made it to at least the Sweet 16 every single year since the 2015 tournament, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2016.

Yes, the two major sports for most Division I teams in football and men’s basketball are struggling for Texas right now. However, calling out the entire athletic program is unfair from Fraschilla. Here is a list of other Texas teams currently ranked inside the top 10 of their respective sport:

Track and Field

  • Men’s: 3rd
  • Women’s: 5th

Swimming

  • Men: 1st
  • Women’s: 10th

Golf

  • Men: 1st
  • Women’s Golf: 1st

Tennis

  • Men: 2nd
  • Women: 7th

Softball:

  • 6th

Women’s Volleyball:

  • 8th

Indoor Track

  • Men:4th
  • Women: 4th

Fraschilla was fair to criticize the major sports and they must improve for Athletic Director Chris Del Conte. Changes might be coming, especially to the men’s basketball program. As an athletic program though, the Longhorns are doing well, being ranked inside the top 10 in 12 different Olympic sports.

Once football and men’s basketball figure it out, it will only get better for Texas.

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