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The UConn Huskies are one win away from their third national championship in four years. Standing in the way are the Michigan Wolverines, who rolled into Monday night’s title game in Indianapolis after dismantling Arizona 91-73 in the Final Four.
UConn needed a grittier effort to get past Illinois 71-62, but the No. 2 seed showed enough to keep its dynasty talk alive. Michigan enters as the top seed and just posted its fourth double-digit win in five tournament games.
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The Wolverines look dangerous, but UConn’s concerns extend beyond the matchup itself. The officiating crew announced Saturday added another wrinkle to the biggest game of the CBB season.
Why the National Championship officiating crew worries the Huskies?
UConn’s head coach Dan Hurley
Jeff Anderson, Kipp Kissinger, and James Breeding will work the championship game. Breeding stands out for UConn fans, and not in a good way. He already officiated 10 Huskies games this season and once hit Dan Hurley with a technical foul and ejection.
Officiating assignments don’t usually draw this much scrutiny, but this one comes with baggage. For UConn fans, according to CT Insiders’ David Borges, the presence of James Breeding tends to bring a mix of frustration and concern.
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The Huskies sit at 34-5 overall but just 7-3 in games Breeding worked. He called several of their wins, including matchups against Columbia, Illinois on Nov. 28, Florida, Marquette, Villanova, Xavier in the Big East tournament, and Michigan State in the Sweet 16.
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But he also worked both losses to St. John’s (the Feb. 5 defeat and the Big East title game at Madison Square Garden). Plus a head-scratching home loss to Creighton on Feb. 18 at Gampel Pavilion. Breeding hit Hurley with two technicals this season, including one in the Big East final that caught…
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Publish date : 2026-04-06 13:11:00
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