What's up with all these wedgies in the men's NCAA tournament?
This weird thing keeps happening during the men’s NCAA tournament where a player will put up a pretty normal looking shot only for the ball to get stuck between the rim and the backboard.
The common term for this rare event is known as a “wedgie” – as in the ball is wedged between the iron and the glass and has nothing to do with the ball’s underpants lifted up over its head. Though the level of embarrassment has got to be about the same.
Basketballs are supposed to bounce and ricochet and generally go wherever its momentum takes it. But on the first day of the men’s tournament, the ball kept getting stuck. Most of these instances occurred at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
One wedgie is funny. Two is hilarious. Three and you start to ask yourself if this has ever happened before. But FIVE!? FIVE WEDGIES!?
What the heck is going on?
It's not a party till someone gets a wedgiepic.twitter.com/W43lpVAHag
— Paramount+ (@paramountplus) March 16, 2023
"It's the rarest of all feats, it's a double wedgie in Des Moines" #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/9cBkDUagpM
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2023
“Are you kidding me?! Another wedgie! If you’re just joining us, that’s the fourth wedgie of the day in Des Moines! It’s a record! It’s official!”- Brian Anderson #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/zi83bVsICC
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 17, 2023
We are up to FIVE wedgies on the first day of #MarchMadness! #WeAreWedgie https://t.co/OWYhd03pVc
— No Dunks (@NoDunksInc) March 17, 2023
Weird, right?
The rims in Des Moines were responsible for four of the wedgies and it’s not like that stadium doesn’t see its fair share of basketball. The G-League’s Iowa Wolves play home games there.
The simplest answer here is that these are brand new rims and backboards, which means they’re almost too stiff and keep hugging the ball. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the correct answer.
The simplest solution, however, is just to put the ball through the basket and avoid the rim all together. More teams should try that.