Some fans — including Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and “SportsCenter” anchor Scott Van Pelt — weren’t thrilled with the NCAA’s decision to have the Chainsmokers perform at Lucas Oil Stadium in between the Final Four games Saturday.
After UConn secured a spot in its third national championship game in four years and before Michigan cruised past Arizona, the Grammy-winning duo took over the venue from a stage tucked away from the court and delivered the entertainment to bridge the showdowns — playing songs that included “Don’t Let Me Down,” their hit that won Best Dance Recording at the 2017 Grammys.
“This Chainsmokers concert in between games is playing off like somebody lost a bet,” Portnoy wrote in an X post with a video from the show attached. “I like the Chainsmokers but nothing has ever made less sense than this.”
Ven Pelt also wrote in a social media post, “Who asked for this?”
And when one fan called out the anchor and asked what he had against the Chainsmokers, Van Pelt replied, “Not one thing. Just an odd spot.”
It marked the first-ever show in between Final Four games, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The Michigan-Arizona game, which was supposed to start at 8:49 p.m. ET, didn’t tip off until approximately 9:20 p.m., around an hour after UConn-Illinois ended.
Portnoy, a Wolverines fan, was thrilled with what he described as a “total ass kicking” in another post on social media.
Michigan led by as many as 30 points and cruised to a 91-73 victory, with Aday Mara fueling their offense with 26 points and nine rebounds while Elliot Cadeau added 13 points and 10 assists.
The Wolverines will enter their championship game return — with their last appearance coming in 2018 — with a concern, though, as senior Yaxel Lendeborg overcame a sprained MCL and a tweaked ankle injury to return Saturday.
When asked by reporters if there was a chance he might miss the title game, though, Lendeborg said, “Absolutely not,” according to Yahoo Sports.
“I definitely felt like I did all this for nothing in the moment,” Lendeborg said of when the injury occurred during the first half, which caused him to go back to the locker room. “I definitely had to calm down for a little bit, speak to myself, get out of my thoughts.”
