ROSEMONT, Ill. — Northwestern coach Chris Collins received a $5,000 fine and a public reprimand from the Big Ten on Friday for violating the league's sportsmanship policy late in the Wildcats' overtime loss to No. 2 Purdue. .
The Big Ten imposed the punishment, noting that the league “expects that all competitions involving a member institution will be conducted without compromising any fundamental element of sportsmanship.” The Big Ten said those fundamental elements include “the integrity of the competition, civility toward all and respect, particularly toward opponents and officials.”
Collins was ejected with 1.7 seconds left in Purdue's 105-96 victory Wednesday night. The sending off came after he entered the field and yelled at a referee with the ball still in play. A Northwestern player grabbed Collins and took him to the bench.
Collins then congratulated Purdue coach Matt Painter and center Zach Edey before heading to the locker room while gesturing to Boilermakers fans to boo him louder.
Purdue attempted 46 free throws in the game, while Northwestern only had eight.
“I don't know if you've ever seen a disparity like that in a Big Ten game,” Collins said. “I mean, I feel like we were aggressive too. But [Northwestern’s] Boo [Buie] Doesn't he shoot a free throw in the game? “It's a little crazy, but that's the name of the game.”
