SALT LAKE CITY — As the NCAA moderator read a statement that both confirmed and condemned him for a sequence that definitively altered the final minutes of Northwestern’s 79-73 loss to Gonzaga, coach Chris Collins’ face contorted into expressions that conveyed the defiance and irony he was feeling better than anything he said over the next 15 minutes. 

He bit his lower lip, then pressed his face into a surprised frown, raised his eyebrows and bobbed his head as the words were read:

With 4:57 remaining in this evening’s second-round game between Gonzaga and Northwestern, the officials missed a rules violation when a Gonzaga defender put his arm through the rim to block a shot. Rule 9, Section 15 of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Book covers Basket Interference and Goaltending. Article 2.a.3 states that basket interference occurs when a player reaches through the basket from below and touches the ball before it enters the cylinder. Replays showed the Gonzaga defender violated this rule, which should have resulted in a scored basket by Northwestern.

Subsequently, with 4:54 remaining in the game and based on bench decorum rules outlined in the rules book, a technical foul was assessed to Northwestern head coach Chris Collins for coming on to the floor to argue the non-call while the ball was in play.

Collins sighed and thanked the NCAA for what he considered to be an apology for the missed call, which — had it been made correctly — would have cut Gonzaga’s lead to 63-60. Instead, Collins charged onto the floor at the officials, earning a technical foul. Just like that, Nigel Williams-Goss made two free throws to expand the lead to seven points and pretty much end several minutes of momentum turning in favor of Northwestern.

“I don’t know what all that means,” Collins said of the NCAA’s statement. “All I know is I’m flying home. But it’s nice. Thank you for the statement. Appreciate it. It should have been a three-point game.

Yes, it should have, but as Collins left Vivint SmartHome Arena on Saturday, it was unclear whether he completely got the message.

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Because for Collins, what he interpreted as contrition from the NCAA seemingly didn’t call for any of his own. There was no apology for his mindless technical foul at a crucial point in the game. No wishing he would have done things differently or kept his cool when his team needed it most. Just justification for the kind of out-of-control behavior that is going to earn a technical foul every single time.

“You guys saw it. I mean, it would have been a three-point game. We had all the momentum. The guy puts his hand through the rim. It’s a very easy call, in my opinion. But it’s an honest mistake. Referees are human beings. They’re here for a reason, because they’re outstanding officials. They made the calls, we have to live with them. In my heart, do I think if we get that call and cut it to three, we have a great chance to win? Yes, I believe we had a great chance to win if the correct call was made.”

But that’s only part of the story. Collins, by both the letter of the rules and the spirit of them, very much earned his technical. In an emotionally charged game that devolved into a foul-fest in the second half — 17 on Northwestern, 12 on Gonzaga — his protests crept closer and closer to the line as the game wore on.

One Division I coach who requested anonymity, in fact, actually sent a text to a USA TODAY Sports reporter midway through the second half: “I like Chris, but can’t believe he hasn’t gotten a T.”

Well, he did.

And even though it had disastrous consequences for the Wildcats, he didn’t seem to think he did anything wrong.

“If I see a guy from another team put his hand through the rim and block a shot going through the basket, I’m going to react to it if the play isn’t called. I’m a human being, too. I think all of you would.

“They made the calls. It is what it is what it is. They issued a statement. I appreciate the apology. It makes me feel great.”

MARCH MADNESS HIGHLIGHTS