Not everyone was thrilled with TNT’s broadcast of Utah State vs. Missouri on Thursday.
As the opening day of March Madness 2023 got underway, the No. 10 Aggies faced off against the seventh-seeded Tigers in a South Region matchup in Sacramento.
With less than two minutes to go in the second half and Utah State down by 12 points, cameras panned to an emotional Aggies cheerleader for several seconds.
Unsurprisingly, the now-viral moment caused a stir on social media – with some fans criticizing the coverage.
“Bruh why does TNT keep showing the crying Utah State cheerleader?? Chill,” one user remarked, while another said, “Seriously, TNT? Highlighting a crying cheerleader?”
March Madness fans ripped TNT for panning to an emotional Utah State cheerleader during her team’s loss to Missouri on March 16, 2023.TwitterFans also stressed how emotional the tournament can be for student-athletes as their collegiate careers can potentially end after a loss.
“Felt bad when the camera kept showing her, probably her last game as a cheerleader,” one fan tweeted.
Another issued a similar sentiment, writing, “She probably a senior and this is her last ride too.”
Missouri went on to defeat Utah State, 76-65.
Utah State’s Taylor Funk (23) and Steven Ashworth (3) embrace following a loss to Missouri on March 16, 2023.APPrior to Thursday’s loss, Utah State had amassed a record of 26-9 and finished second this season in the Mountain West Conference.
As for Missouri, they’ll next face No. 15 Princeton on Saturday in the Round of 32.
Princeton has already played spoiler in the tournament after knocking out the second-seed Arizona Wildcats on Thursday in an opening-round thriller, 59-55.
