The Big 12 has reverted back to the hardwood already, retiring its bizarre LED glass court idea for now.
After a LED glass floor was installed at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., players complained it was slippery and Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson even strained a muscle slipping on it Thursday.
This led to commissioner Brett Yormark deciding to go back to the regular layout.
“After consultation with the coaches of our four semifinal teams, I have decided that in order to provide our student-athletes with the greatest level of comfort on a huge stage this weekend, we will transition to a hardwood court for the remainder of the tournament,” Yormark said in a statement ahead of Friday’s pair of games. “We look forward to a great semifinals and championship game.”
The polarizing court is made of tempered, shatter-resistant glass panels with built-in LED lights that can display different logos and animations.
There is also a cushioning layer under the glass that was designed for the court to provide some flexbility and reduce injuries, though that appears not to have worked.
Anderson, who suffered his injury during a blowout loss to Iowa State, added that he believes his injury and slippage were caused by the new material they were playing on.
“It’s slick,” Anderson said after the Red Raiders’ 75-53 loss. “It was pretty slippery. I just slipped and extended and got put in a position that was a little unnatural.”
The conference will have the courts’ modular panels of glass taken out and traditional hardwood boards put back in their place for Friday’s games.
Four of the country’s best teams are slated to play on the new hardwood court, with top-seeded Arizona facing No. 5 Iowa State and No. 2 Houston taking on No. 3 Kansas.
Kansas coach Bill Self had even more reason to want the glass court removed, as his star freshman and projected top-three draft pick Darryn Peterson has already gained criticism across the college basketball world for worrying about his long-term health by pulling himself out of games.
Self told reporters that changing the court was “the right thing to do” after the injury to Anderson and multiple other players slipping.
“The floor was fine, but it did seem a little different from a traction standpoint than the majority of courts are,” Self continued.
Iowa State vs. Arizona tips off at 7 p.m. ET on Friday and Kansas faces Houston in the nightcap.