INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee has approved the 11 game officials recommended by Chris Rastatter, the national coordinator of officiating, to work Saturday’s two national semifinal games and Monday’s national championship game. A three-person crew will work each Men’s Final Four game, while two officials will serve as the standby officials for all three contests.
The NCAA has notified these 11 individuals that they have been selected to work the 2023 Men’s Final Four, which will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston:
- Jeff Anderson, West Henrietta, New York
- Roger Ayers, Roanoke, Virginia
- Ron Groover, Newnan, Georgia
- John Higgins, Omaha, Nebraska
- Keith Kimble, Arlington, Texas
- Kipp Kissinger, Omaha, Nebraska
- Terry Oglesby, Maryville, Missouri
- Mike Reed, Mount Shasta, California
- Doug Sirmons, Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Bert Smith, Florence, Kentucky
- Paul Szelc, Lawrence, Kansas
“The 2023 NCAA tournament officials have collectively done an exceptional job of officiating the tournament,” said Rastatter. “We are fortunate to have an extremely qualified pool of officials. These officials have gone above and beyond to help make this tournament fair and successful for the student-athletes, coaches and participating teams.”
Sirmons will be officiating in his ninth Men’s Final Four, while Higgins has been selected for the eighth time. Anderson will work his sixth Men’s Final Four and Groover will work his fifth. This will be the fourth Men’s Final Four for Ayers and Kimble, while Oglesby will work his third. Kissinger and Smith will work their second Men’s Final Four, while Reed and Szelc will make their first Men’s Final Four appearance.
Saturday’s first semifinal features East Region champion and No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic facing San Diego State, the No. 5 seed, and champions of the South Region. Florida Atlantic and San Diego State are both making their first Men’s Final Four appearances. Tipoff is set for 5:09 p.m. central time. The second semifinal game, which is scheduled 40 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1, pits West Region champion UConn against Midwest Region champion Miami. The fourth-seeded Huskies will be making their 6th appearance in the Men’s Final Four, while the No. 5 seed Hurricanes are in the Men’s Final Four for the first time.
The officiating assignments for each semifinal game, as well as Monday night’s national championship game, will be announced an hour before each game.
