Who was Thad Matta yelling at when Evan Turner's shot beat Michigan?

Editor's note: This story was originally published February 19, 2016. It has been re-published March 13, 2021 due to an issue with the webpage.

The clip of Evan Turner beating Michigan with a buzzer-beater in the 2010 Big Ten tournament is shown every time Ohio State faces the Wolverines. In a quarterfinal game, Turner nailed a shot from just across half-court to give the Buckeyes a 69-68 win.

It’s an iconic clip, with Turner holding his follow-through as he’s mobbed by teammates at what was then Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. But immediately after, the ESPN broadcast cuts right to Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who looks as demonstrative as he ever has.

Nearly six years removed, I wondered: what the heck was he yelling at?

“The official,” he said today.

That opened up a range of possibilities. Was he concerned that the shot would be waved off? Did something happen away from the action that irked Matta?

“I had looked across and saw (the broadcasters),” Matta said. “I said, ‘Is it good?’ They said, ‘It’s good,’ so I knew it was good.

“I hadn’t thought that guy had called a real good game throughout the course of the game. And I checked and there was no time on the clock, so I couldn’t get a technical. People thought I was yelling at the Michigan bench. I was not yelling (at them). I was letting him know that I knew that he didn’t have to check the monitor because it was good. There may have been a few adjectives in there to let him know that it was good, but that’s what that was.”

So now you know.

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy