Dan Hurley won't face Elite Eight stare down referee in Final Four
Why the UConn coach won't see Roger Ayers again this season.
Dan Hurley won't face Elite Eight stare down referee in Final Four originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The official involved in a stare down with UConn coach Dan Hurley in the final moments of the Elite Eight win over Duke won't move on to the Final Four.
Roger Ayers was not among the referees assigned to officiate games in Indianapolis. The veteran referee, who previously called seven Final Fours, including last year's round of game, was skipped over by the NCAA in an announcement on Monday. The 11 officials headed to Indy are Jeff Anderson, James Breeding, Lee Cassell, Ron Groover, Keith Kimble, Kipp Kissinger, Greg Nixon, Marques Pettigrew, Doug Shows, Doug Sirmons and Paul Szelc.
Roger Ayers, the official involved in a bizarre interaction with UConn coach Dan Hurley near the end of the Huskies' historic NCAA tournament victory over the Duke Blue Devils , is not among the referees assigned to officiate the men's Final Four. More: https://t. co/ixIsmQElkT pic.
twitter. com/gOdzpQvAel — ESPN (@espn) March 31, 2026 Right after UConn came back from a 19-point deficit, which ended with Braylon Mullins nailing a near-logo 3-pointer with 0. 4 seconds remaining, Hurley was full of emotions.