Did the refs blow the finish to the Elite Eight game between No. 1 seed Duke and No. 2 seed UConn on Sunday?
UConn upset Duke, 73-72, at the Elite Eight in Washington, D.C. on Sunday evening. The Huskies are off to the Final Four, while the Blue Devils are going home. UConn got a late steal, thanks to a Cayden Boozer turnover, before Huskies freshman Braylon Mullins drilled the game-winning 3-pointer.
But immediately after UConn's game-winning shot, Huskies head coach Dan Hurley made contact with an official, essentially head-butting him in a soft manor.
Should this have been a technical foul?
There was still time left on the clock when this happened. Making contact with an official is typically an automatic technical and, often, an ejection.
That probably would've been extreme in this situation. Hurley was clearly out of his mind following the shot, unsure how to react.
But one former college hoops star is accusing the refs of swallowing their whistle and blowing the finish to the game.
Former NCAA star thinks technical foul should've been called
Former NCAA star Sam Dekker says Hurley should've been called for a technical foul.
"I have no bias here. This is a tech 10/10 times," he admitted.
"For multiple reasons… it would have lost the game for his team and he would have tried to fight the officials like he did nothing wrong. I just don’t understand it at all. Also, referees need to grow a spine in instances like this."
Dekker, whose Wisconsin team lost to Duke in the 2015 national title game, defended any perceived bias.
"Brother I LOST to Duke in the national championship. Do you think I’m sad THEY lost?!" he clapped back.
Should the UConn head coach have been hit with a technical foul at the end of Sunday night's game?
