Overview
- Seconds after Braylon Mullins hit a game-winning three on Sunday, broadcast video showed UConn coach Dan Hurley briefly press his forehead to referee Roger Ayers as the Huskies advanced to face Illinois in the Final Four.
- On The Triple Option podcast, Hurley said he thought Ayers was coming to chest-bump and that the official was actually trying to tell him there were tenths of a second left on the clock.
- ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg said Ayers told him “nothing happened,” indicating the veteran official did not view the moment as a problem.
- The NCAA named 11 referees for the Final Four on Monday and Ayers was not on the list, with no public explanation linking that decision to the clip.
- Fans and some former players argued a technical foul should have been called because contact with an official can mean two free throws, and the debate has been fueled by Hurley’s earlier March ejection and $25,000 Big East fine for contact with a ref.