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LeBron James Furious With Refs Over Controversial Call at End of Iowa–UConn Showdown

Tom Dierberger

The Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate a win over UConn in the Final Four.
The Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate a win over UConn in the Final Four. / Gregory Shamus/GettyImages
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An action-packed Final Four matchup between UConn and Iowa lived up to the hype Friday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, but a controversial call in the closing seconds stole the headlines.

With UConn trailing 70–69 in crunch time looking for a go-ahead or game-winning bucket, Huskies senior forward Aaliyah Edwards was whistled for an offensive foul with four seconds remaining.

UConn never gained possession of the basketball again and lost 71–69.

LeBron James, who was watching the game while the Los Angeles Lakers rested on Saturday, was among the high-profile athletes to chime in on the controversial call.

"NAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" James posted to social media. "I ain’t rolling with that call."

Among other hoopers to weigh in? LSU star Angel Reese, whose Tigers were defeated by Iowa in the Elite Eight.

Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum, who was in Cleveland watching the semifinal matchup, agreed with James and Reese.

Iowa advances to face undefeated South Carolina in the national championship on Sunday.

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Tom Dierberger

TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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