Shaquille O’Neal Instigates March Madness Fans With 2 Cryptic Words on Controversial Move

The LSU Tigers were feeling the pressure until the first half of their game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. In this tight second-round match-up, a lot of dramatic scenes were expected, and surprisingly, the referees became the root cause for it. A controversial call on Angel Reese’s teammate is the talk of the internet, as it has split the netizens into two sides. Some have sided with the referees, and some with the LSU center. Former Los Angeles Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal also participated in this hot debate and left people a bit confused.

In a post shared by ESPN highlighting the controversial play, the 4x NBA champion commented, “Nice move”. Does Shaq think it is a wrong call and is being sarcastic, or is he just siding with his alma mater? The Big Diesel has always endorsed Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers. So is this another episode of it? 

With two minutes remaining in the second quarter, LSU was down one, and their center, Aalyah Del Rosario, collected a rebound off of MTSU’s miss. Jada Grannum from the Blue Raiders tried to steal the ball from Del Rosario, but the big center pushed her off with a slight elbow. The referees decided to call it an offensive foul, which triggered LSU coach Kim Mulkey and the entire team. The famous head coach was running around, trying to make her case, but the referees did not bother to change the call.

This foul call gave MTSU an upper hand before entering halftime. They had a 4-point lead over the LSU Tigers, but the second half turned out to be a disaster for them. 

A controversial foul call fueled LSU Tigers to put MTSU to sleep in the second half

Many were predicting an upset after the defending champions struggled to add some points to the scoreboard. However, Flau’jae Johnson and Angel Reese came alive at the right time to save the season for the LSU Tigers. Reese secured 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists, which was topped by Johnson’s 21 points and 4 rebounds. The supporting cast was amazing as well. 

Read more: Angel Reese Gives LSU Reality Check After Thrashing Rice in March Madness Opener

Aneesah Morrow’s 19 points, and 13 rebounds, and Mikaylah Williams’ 16 points, fueled the Tigers to defeat MTSU, 83-56. However, the challenge has just started for the Tigers. They have successfully entered Sweet Sixteen and will be facing the winner of 2nd seed UCLA and 7th seed Creighton. Even a small mistake in the upcoming games can take the NCAA title away from them. Let’s see if the LSU Tigers can defend their title this season. Nevertheless, Shaquille O’Neal will continue supporting his alma mater.

Read more: Angel Reese Helps Kim Mulkey Outlast a Fighting Rice Owls in the First March Madness Game in LSU’s Title Defense