A referee downplayed an unusual moment with Dan Hurley at the end of UConn's Elite Eight win over Duke.
The Huskies advanced to the Final Four after Braylon Mullins culminated an epic comeback with a game-winning three in the final second. After the 35-foot shot, Hurley and official Roger Ayers butted heads during an apparent staredown.
While the moment went viral on social media, neither Ayers nor Hurley sees the big deal. ESPN's Seth Greenberg relayed Ayers' response to the interaction on SportsCenter, via Awful Announcing.
"I talked to Roger today," Greenberg said on Monday. "He said, ‘What are you talking about?’ He literally didn’t know what I was talking about. He said, ‘Nothing happened. The ball went in. I was running back. They were celebrating. Danny leaned in, said something to me. I said something to him. It was absolutely nothing.'"
Dan Hurley also dismissed exchange
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Greenberg also shared Hurley's reaction to the encounter. The two-time national champion didn't see the big deal either, and Greenberg doesn't think this moment would have drawn the same attention if it involved a different head coach.
"I spoke to Dan as well, and Dan said he didn’t understand what was going on. He has so much respect for Roger," Greenberg said. "He’s never had a problem with him. Now he’s been walked back, like we all have during the course of a game, but that literally, that was social media trying to create something out of nothing because of Dan Hurley’s -- allegedly -- reputation."
Greenberg also praised Ayers, who notably did not hit Hurley with a technical foul that could have potentially cost UConn the game.
"The official interacted with him," Greenberg said. "That guy is the best communicator in all of college basketball as an official. A guy you want on every single one of your games."
CBS analyst Seth Davis also theorized that Hurley and Ayers were playfully ribbing each other without any real animosity.
"Just for context ... the referee is Roger Ayers, who has worked multiple Final Fours. Known for his toughness and also sense of humor," Davis wrote. "This struck me as Hurley messing with a buddy more than intimidating a ref. This is after Mullins' shot, so Hurley was obviously not mad at the refs."
UConn will play Illinois this Saturday for a spot in the men's National Championship Game.
