Final Four game between UConn and Iowa (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
A former NFL star joined the voices claiming the Final Four affair between the UConn Huskies and Iowa Hawkeyes was rigged shortly after Friday night’s game.
The matchup was a hotly contested one that was somewhat ruined by a late call as the decision rid fans of what could have been an exciting finish. Instead, a whistle against UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards for an illegal screen handed possession back to Iowa, taking away any attempt at a shot that would have given the Huskies the lead in the final seconds.
Lots of people took to social media to protest the call, including former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant.
“This game was extremely rigged,” he wrote via Twitter/X. “They H- d UConn.”
He returned to the platform shortly after, however, making it clear that he didn’t believe the game was rigged, but that the referee should have never made such a call at that juncture.
“Let me not use the word rigged…You can’t make that call at a moment like that during the game,” he posted.
Let me not use the word rigged..
You can’t make that call at a moment like that during the game https://t.co/fgUdnz16WP
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) April 6, 2024
Friday’s Final Four Matchup Between UConn & Iowa Has Been The Subject Of Much Debate This Weekend
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James shared a similar reaction after the game, tweeting he wasn’t “rolling” with the call.
While the call did ruin what could have been a beautiful ending, it wasn’t unwarranted. Replays show that Edwards wasn’t set and threw her body into the defensive player, albeit slightly, on the play.
NAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I ain’t rolling with that call.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 6, 2024
“Everybody can make a big deal about that one single play but not one single play wins a basketball game or loses a basketball game,” Huskies star Paige Bueckers told reporters. “I feel like I made a lot of mistakes that could’ve prevented that play.“
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma had a different take as he suggested that there was at least one illegal screen on every possession, yet his team was the only one being punished all game.
