00:00But let's get to the very latest in sports, and surprisingly, we begin with a story from the National Football
00:05League.
00:05Could it possibly be true that the referees will not be on the field this season in the NFL?
00:11Well, hold on. There will be referees, but as of right now, the owners are, quote,
00:16alarmed by the state of negotiations with the Referees Association,
00:19and they're looking for potential replacements in the coming weeks.
00:23If that indeed happens, you could be looking at replacement officials at the very least in June, July, and even
00:30August,
00:30and some of the off-the-field activities, maybe even the regular season in September.
00:34The NFL has offered the six-year deal that gives referees a raise of 6.45%.
00:40The average NFL official earned $385,000 in 2025, but with all the money that the NFL is making,
00:46the referees want a bigger piece of the pie, so to speak.
00:49Apparently, we'll see how this plays out over the next month or so.
00:52Okay, one of the epic games in college basketball history happened last night.
00:57UConn erases a 19-point first-half deficit.
00:59They take out the number-one seed, Duke.
01:0273-72 on a final play in the game.
01:07It was incredible.
01:08Terrace Reed had 26 points.
01:10Braylon Mullins, who was one of those players involved at the end of that game, kind of crazy,
01:15he had 10 points in it.
01:16Cam Boozer had 27 in the loss.
01:18So UConn now will play Illinois coming up Saturday night in the final four.
01:22But it was Mullins, who was very well involved at the end, including hitting the game-winning shot.
01:27Here he is on the winner for the Huskies.
01:29I mean, yeah, it's still a loss of words, still process and all, like what just happened.
01:33But, I mean, I think that last possession, it was just we were trying to foul the worst free-throw
01:37shooter on the floor.
01:38And Silas ended up deflecting the pass to the other end of the floor.
01:44And it's just I had the ball, and I know AK had just hit one, so I threw him at
01:48four seconds left.
01:49And, man, he just threw the ball back to me.
01:51I knew I had to pull one up.
01:52So, man, I'm just happy that was the one that went down tonight.
01:55I'll just say this.
01:56Go ahead, Coach.
01:57And then if there's not questions like him, you know, he'll answer and go.
02:04It cannot be more disappointed and feeling for our guys at the same time of, you know, just trying to
02:16process what happened.
02:17I don't have the words.
02:19I don't have the words.
02:21What I do know is literally this team, what each individual player went through just to play the game.
02:29I've never seen anything like it.
02:32What these guys did, have to get ready, their foot injuries.
02:35He's got a black eye.
02:37He's playing the whole game.
02:38And I'm incredibly sorry for these guys that they've got to go through this.
02:45This is on us.
02:50We're going to be in this together.
02:52And the year that this guy's had has been absolutely incredible.
02:57Absolutely incredible.
02:58And I don't have words other than just how proud I am of these guys and how disappointed we are.
03:07Tough ending for Shire and Boozer and Duke.
03:10All right.
03:11Let's get to Michigan.
03:12Michigan just rolled through the Elite Eight.
03:14They beat Tennessee in a 95-62 blowout.
03:19They covered as eight and a half point favorites.
03:21Michigan now will play Arizona on Saturday night.
03:25Here is Dusty May on the win and the advancement to the Final Four.
03:29We are extremely proud of our guys, the way they competed against a story program like Tennessee
03:35that's as well coached as anyone in the country, against a team that has battled all year
03:41and really improved as the season has gone on.
03:44But our guys have been up to the challenge to deliver in the biggest moments all year,
03:51and nothing changed tonight.
03:52But just to be proud, we're all just very proud to be a part of this group.
03:57We're obviously disappointed.
03:59We think that we're better than what we showed today.
04:02And we sort of, well, the game was kind of where we had it in the first, what, eight to
04:07ten minutes.
04:08And we picked up five quick fouls and got away from us and give them credit.
04:14But just so proud of our guys.
04:17They've had a phenomenal year.
04:19Obviously, when you get to this point and you don't move on, it's extremely disappointing,
04:24especially when you know you weren't at your best and you know you need to be at your best this
04:27time.
04:28But proud of these two guys here and Grant.
04:32Grant was a guy we brought back to help us maintain our culture with the locker room.
04:37And Felix has been amazing.
04:39And I thought Jacoby in a year just endeared himself to Volanation.
04:43And he was fearless today.
04:47But just unbelievably proud of this team.
04:50Really, we've gone through a lot.
04:52They've stuck together to get us to this point.
04:54And there's probably, what, 50-some teams that like to be here today where we are even after a loss.
05:01And so I'm proud of their effort.
05:03And we want more.
05:04There's no doubt we want more.
05:05We want to break through this thing.
05:07But you've got to get here first.
05:08And just so proud of the effort these guys gave it this year.
05:14Michigan advances to play Saturday.
05:15And so does Arizona.
05:17In fact, a couple of months ago, Arizona was the heavy favorite to win the national championship.
05:21And here they are taking out Purdue.
05:2479-64.
05:26They win the West Region.
05:27First time Arizona's going to the Final Four.
05:28Get this.
05:29In 25 years, they win and cover as five-and-a-half-point favorites.
05:33It has been a battle for the Wildcats to get here.
05:35Co-opete had 20.7 rebounds.
05:37Tommy Lloyd, proud of his team's effort and the battle for Arizona to go through some adversity late in the
05:42season to get to the Final Four.
05:45You know, I love those guys.
05:48And they've given me a better life because they helped build this program to what it is now.
05:54And the legacy is so strong.
05:56And those guys have been so cool and so welcoming to me.
06:01You know, the sun may be shining on, you know, this team and me coaching it right now.
06:08But when it's shining on you, you've got to fight like hell to protect it and build it.
06:12And so that's what I feel like my number one responsibility is, is to fight to protect the program and
06:18fight to build it.
06:18But for those who came before me and for those that are going to follow after me, because, you know
06:25what, Arizona's going to have another good coach after me.
06:27I promise you.
06:28I mean, the place is special.
06:30It is a great year for Arizona.
06:32We'll see if they can capture the championship.
06:34They'll have to go through Illinois.
06:35They beat Iowa 71-59.
06:37Remember, Iowa's the ninth seed in the NCAA tournament.
06:40So they have nothing to be upset about.
06:42But Illinois is going back to the Final Four for the first time in 21 years.
06:45Here's Brad Underwood on that accomplishment.
06:47I never doubted, and I don't want to sound arrogant, I've never doubted us getting to a Final Four would
06:53happen.
06:55I thought we've had other teams capable.
06:58But I also know how doggone hard it is to do it.
07:02And for that, I just say thank you.
07:07I say thank you to everybody involved.
07:09And I'm going to get emotional, but it's, you know, I've been doing this 39 years, and you dream about
07:21this as a kid.
07:22And I dreamt about doing it at Illinois back in the day when my wife bought Tyler, who was maybe
07:32two, a Brian Cook jersey.
07:35And you knew what a special place this was, and it always has been.
07:41And there's been no other thing for me.
07:45This is my dream job.
07:48And it's very fulfilling to get where we're going.
07:54Third row, right.
07:56Another big win, and another team headed to the Final Four.
07:59Meanwhile, St. John's did not get there.
08:02But the school did give Rick Pitino a contract extension that makes him the second-highest paid coach in the
08:08Big East.
08:09It will be through the 29-20-30 season.
08:14I mean, Rick Pitino's probably going to be 90 years old by the time this gets done.
08:18Who knows?
08:18I mean, Rick Pitino's probably going to be 90 years old by the time this gets done.
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