An official was pulled at halftime of Saturday’s NC State-Chattanooga first-round women’s NCAA Tournament game, a change that typically only happens if an official is injured during the course of the game.

Regarding the change, the NCAA gave reporters on site a statement that read in part: “It was learned after the game had started that Umpire 2 Tommi Paris had a background conflict that, if known, would prevent her from working that assigned game. The decision was made to move Angelica Suffren, who had worked the first game of the sessions, into the Umpire 2 position because it provided the most on-court experience and allowed the game to maintain a full officiating crew, plus standby.”

Paris’ LinkedIn profile shows that she received a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Officials are not supposed to have any conflicts with either team in the game. In this situation, both the NCAA should’ve made sure she was not assigned to this game and Paris should’ve disclosed her own personal conflict. First-round officiating assignments were delivered to officials last weekend. It’s unclear why neither the NCAA knew this information nor why Paris wouldn’t have brought up the conflict of interest.

Making the matter…

(Editor’s note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)

We are officially less than a week away from Selection Sunday. Let me rephrase that; we are five days away from going from Bracket Watch to actually watching the bracket being built. With this being my first foray into bracket-building and seeding, it means something a bit different to me this year.

In a way, I’ve been building up my own resume and body of work every week, working to tweak what I’m doing, improve my process, and work to be more in line with how the committee seems to be viewing things. We’ve got a wealth of great coverage from The Athletic women’s basketball staff on the way, including ramping up to daily Bracket Watch articles through Sunday.

If this is your first edition, welcome! This is a great time to get in, as the cement is starting to set at the top although the bottom of the bracket is still liquid. Conference tournaments are taking place all week, so be on the lookout for daily games if you’re looking for a hoops fix during your lunch breaks.

The Big 12 championship can still shake up some things. The Summit, Horizon and WCC are each in their final…

South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso had never taken a 3-pointer in her Gamecocks’ career before finding herself wide open with the clock ticking down against Tennessee in Saturday’s SEC tournament semifinal. But in every practice, according to guard Raven Johnson, Cardoso works on her jumper with associate head coach Lisa Boyer. “It translated to the game,” Johnson said.

Cardoso banked in the game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Gamecocks past the Lady Vols 74-73. The shot moved South Carolina to the conference tournament championship and kept its undefeated season intact. Coach Dawn Staley had drawn up the play for Cardoso, and told the center to shoot it. “She’s got a decent shot,” Staley said. “She’s got a decent midrange. She’s got a decent 3. She’s always going to be open. Maybe she’ll shoot it (more in the future).” More than unlocking any new option, however, the Gamecocks showed they can win in a number of ways.

One can break down South Carolina’s win from many perspectives. The Gamecocks had a 23-point lead late in the second quarter and allowed Tennessee to make it a game. Yet even after squandering their advantage, they executed with the game on the line. Despite being a dominant second-half team all season, South Carolina struggled early…