The second-round NCAA tournament game between the UConn Huskies and Florida Gators on Sunday, March 23, might have been a nail biter — but it was a distraction in the crowd that also sparked plenty of conversation.
UConn fell to Florida 77-75 at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on Sunday, ending the school’s chance at winning three consecutive national championships. While UConn star freshman Liam McNeeley and the Huskies might have come up short, his mother, Ashley Elsey, became a viral sensation in the process.
Elsey was repeatedly shown on the CBS broadcast of the game excitedly cheering on her son, 19, and his teammates from her seat in the UConn family section.
“CBS cameraman is a huge fan of Liam McNeeley’s mom,” one viewer at home posted via X during the game. “She’s gotten more airtime than the Gators cheerleaders and the Florida coach.”
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Another wrote, “Liam McNeeley’s mom is getting a lot of airtime and frankly she should.”
However, not all basketball fans were as enthused with Elsey being such a focal point of the broadcast.
“The infatuation by CBS with Liam McNeeley’s mom is far too over the top,” one viewer wrote via X. Another said, “Did anyone ask to see Liam McNeeley’s mom every thirty seconds?”
Elsey was sitting at the game with her daughter, Ava McNeeley, who is currently a student at the University of Texas.
According to her Instagram, Elsey is a “hopelessly devoted mom” to her two children and describes herself as a “communications executive, entrepreneur, story lover, news junkie.”
Elsey is the owner of Minerva Consulting, an integrated marketing, PR and production agency, in Richardson, Texas.
Earlier this month, Elsey celebrated her son earning Big East Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
“Congratulations to Liam!” she wrote via Instagram. “I cannot even say how proud I am of who he is and how hard he works or how grateful I am for the circle of people who pour into him, pray for him and cheer him on. What a journey and more to come!! Let’s go huskies!!!”
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In December, Elsey and her two children celebrated the holidays together in the midst of Liam’s busy college basketball season.
“There is no place like home,” she shared via Instagram alongside a picture of her, Liam and Ava. “Merry Christmas!”
The trio took a trip to Hawaii in November to see Liam and UConn play in the Maui Invitational, which Elsey also documented via Instagram.
“Better together,” Elsey captioned a carousel of photos from the vacation. Liam responded to his mother’s post in the comment section with a simple red heart emoji.
