“Purdue Always Has the Refs”: Fans Demolish Zach Edey’s Promising Start as Donovan Clingan and UConn Take Over the 1st Half

Zach Edey gave the State Farm crowd a stellar first-half performance. After some proclaimed the towering Canadian a demi-god in the initial minutes, the tide now seems to be turning. As Clingan and Co take to the floor again, many are far from pleased with the referees. The reason? They allege no fouls being called on Edey. Rather, they would quickly raise their hands if some other player even breathes near him. The fact that Edey averaged 11.2 free throw attempts per game in the regular season only boosts fans’ suspicions.

However, UConn did get the attention to themselves quickly. The Husky superstar Donovan Clingan and the squad gave the 7-ft-4 center a rough time. In fact, Tristen Newton began a 5-0 run which gave UConn a much-needed boost to take a 9-point lead.

The Huskies brought the trophy home with a 15-point gap. At the same time, Purdue left Arizona with a disheartening 60-75 defeat. However, during the game, referees made more foul calls on the Huskies compared to the Boilermakers. In fact, UConn had a total of 17 fouls while Purdue had 15.

Nevertheless, fans grouped against the referees for not charging the Boilermakers when they did do something. Here is how the basketball world is reacting to it.

Not Zach Edey but the referees become the villains for fans

Edey has made it a norm for himself to be criticized for his physical attributes. However, using the same to completely screen the opponent during the game caught many people’s eyes. But not for the referees. Hence, the fans concluded that Purdue will always have the side of the authorities, despite their actions. An X user tweeted how referees did not call a foul when Zach Edey, the 7-ft-4 Boilermaker, completely blocked the view for UConn with a screen.

Barstool Sports went as far as to post two referees hugging each other, playfully suggesting a conspiracy. Certainly, while it was the last game for the Canadian sensation as a Boilermaker, were the referees really sad about it?

While the game had just reached halftime, with UConn leading the scoreboard 36-30, the tall claims only took a more concrete shape. Another X user added a GIF suggesting how the referees viewed the floor with Purdue’s lenses.

An X user even compared Zach Edey to the Bama’s budding star Grant Nelson who handed the No.1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels a stunning upset in their Sweet-16 matchup this year.

Another Husky fan couldn’t hide his disbelief as he suggested how the announcers and referees would just let the game continue no matter what Edey does.

One of the X users brought out their sarcastic side as they told the referees that no one would take away their whistles if they called a foul on Zach Edey.

Seems like the entire world went against Zach Edey and the referees on this one. However, both teams had some comparable calls on their heads. But in the end, the trophy belonged to the one team that displayed dazzling performances throughout the season and did not give their fans any disappointment.

Read More- Caitlin Clark and Zach Edey – Tale of 2 Championship Games and 2 Historic NCAA Seasons Ending in Dismay