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Roger Ayers’ whistle will be silent for the Final Four.
The referee who had a bizarre interaction with the UConn Huskies’ coach, Dan Hurley, was not among the officials selected by the NCAA to work the Final Four.
The NCAA announced the 11 referees who will work the two games, but the list does not include Ayers, someone who is considered among the best in the sport according to ESPN analyst and former Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg.
Ayers had a strange interaction with the UConn coach after a wild 19-point comeback and win for the Huskies, as Braylon Mullins drilled a 30-foot 3-pointer off a steal in the final second as the Duke Blue Devils collapsed in a 73-72 loss.
After Mullins nailed the 3-pointer, Hurley celebrated and then went forehead to forehead with Ayers in one of the most bizarre scenes we’ve seen between coach and official.
Some called for Ayers to give Hurley a technical foul, which would have resulted in the Blue Devils shooting a free throw to tie the game.
Ayers allegedly told ESPN’s Greenberg that he had no idea what he was talking about when asked about the strange interaction he had with Hurley.
Specific game assignments for the Final Four are not yet publicly known, where UConn will play Illinois and Michigan faces off with Arizona in the national semifinals in Indianapolis.
Ayers did referee the Final Four last season and has officiated seven in his career.
He began his refereeing career in 1995 and started officiating Division I college hoops in 1998.
Public records indicate that Ayers officiated key games in each of the last four seasons, including the 2024 National Championship, which UConn won over Purdue.
Ayers refereed the North Carolina vs. Duke Final Four matchup in 2022, and then Miami vs. UConn in the same round the following season
Ayers also officiated the Florida vs. Auburn Final Four game last year.
It will be interesting to see whether Ayers gets the call in the National Championship come Monday, as his absence from those three key games will mark the first time since 2021 that he was not a part of the semifinal or final.
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