Still doesn't specifically address the question at hand. That says nothing about the tip being inconsequential. Let me go ahead and say that my personal opinion is that the tip means nothing and it would still be goal tending. Here's why. Because the rule says nothing about how the ball got up there in the first place. It doesn't say the offensive player has to be the one that shot it. It could be players fighting for the rebound and the defensive player tips it up off the backboard above the rim. It could even be a player getting confused and shooting at the wrong goal.
Never even seen this issue come up until Pearl and the Auburn players were immediately lobbying for the review, so I'd really like to know the answer.
It does though. Because the rest of what I bolded.
There are two ways to get called for goal tending.
1) "Interfering with the ball while it's on its way to the basket and it is (a) in a downward flight, (b) entirely above the rim and has the possibility of entering the basket, and (c) not touching the rim"
2)"goaltending is also called if the ball has already touched the backboard while being above the height of the rim in its flight, regardless of whether it being in an upward or downward flight or whether it is directly above the rim."
You're stuck on 1, or think 2 is negated if 1 is negated, I guess?
If in fact an Auburn defender tipped the ball as it was "in an upward flight" from the Mercer player's shot, and then Dunans caught it on the way back down, while still above the rim near the goal, then yes, the tip matters and it is not goaltending.
But the Auburn defender (supposedly) tipped the ball as it was "in an upward flight" from the Mercer players shot
and then it hit the backboard. At this point reason 1 to get called for goaltending is of no consequence. Move on past that. We're on to reason #2. An entirely separate action. It bounced off the backboard and was still above the rim when he grabbed it. That is goaltending. It is completely independent of everything that took place before the ball hit the backboard.
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