UConn looked down and out in an Elite Eight matchup against Duke on Sunday that was billed as the biggest matchup yet of the NCAA tournament.
But it rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit to stun the Blue Devils, 73-72, in the East regional final with a wild second-half rally capped by a late Duke turnover and a 3-pointer to beat the buzzer.
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It added up to a historic rally for UConn to advance to the Final Four and a monumental collapse for a Duke team that entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.
UConn caps rally, win with all-time NCAA tournament shot
UConn chipped away at a 44-29 halftime deficit to get within one in the final minute. But Duke appeared to remain in control with a 74-72 lead and an inbounds play under its own basket in the final 10 seconds.
But the game wasn’t over. And UConn capitalized on a fateful botched Duke possession.
Cayden Boozer had the ball near halfcourt after a pass from Dame Sarr as UConn pressed. Silas Demary deflected Boozer’s pass into the frontcourt, and Braylon Mullins stole it for UConn. Mullins quickly fired a pass up court to Alex Karaban, who delivered it right back to Mullins near the logo.
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From there, Mullins didn’t hesitate. He pulled up from 35 feet to sink the game winner with 0.3 seconds remaining on the clock.
Chaos ensued, but there was still time on the clock.
Officials looked at the replay and reset the clock to 0.4 seconds, not nearly enough time for Duke to answer. And Duke’s season ends in devastating fashion.
Mullins: ‘Just happy to see that s*** go in’
Mullins talked about his late steal and shot with CBS after the game.
“I looked up at the clock and it said 5 seconds, so I tried to get the ball to somebody who had made one in the game,” Mullins said of his pass to Karaban after his steal. “And he wanted to throw it back. So I saw 3 seconds and it was the last shot.
“Just happy to see that s*** go in. I’m so happy.”
Head coach Dan Hurley praised Mullins’ “courage” in his postgame interview, describing him as a “rare human being.” He then touted UConn’s culture while giving credit to the program’s legacy of basketball coaches.
“It’s the UConn culture, it’s the UConn heart,” Hurley told CBS. “It’s what Geno [Auriemma] built and what coach [Jim] Calhoun built and what Kevin Ollie carried on. We just believe we’re supposed to win this time of year.”
Historic collapse for Duke
UConn’s win ties the sixth-largest comeback in NCAA tournament history, a mark that VCU set against Duke’s rival UNC in the first round. It marks the first time a No. 1 seed lost in the NCAA tournament after leading by 15-plus points at halftime. Such teams were previously 134-0.
And it ends Duke’s NCAA tournament and championship hopes in heartbreak for a second straight tournament following last year’s late breakdown in a Final Four loss to Houston.
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Cayden Boozer took the blame for the loss in the postgame locker room.
“I ruined our team’s season,” he told reporters, via The Athletic’s Brendan Marks. “That’s the best I can put it.”
Duke coach Jon Scheyer, however, didn’t put the loss on Boozer’s late turnover, but on a collection of plays after halftime that allowed UConn to rally.
“I look at every play that happened, especially in that second half, this is not about one play,” he said. “It’s about every play that put us in that position, and that’s what you don’t want to do, where one play something could happen. For me, look, it’s going to be tough, but it’s not going to be on one play.”
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The Huskies, meanwhile are headed to the Final Four for the third time in four seasons. The last two times UConn got there, it won the national championship.
UConn joins Arizona, Michigan and Illinois in the Final Four. It will play Illinois in Saturday’s national semifinal.
Head coach Dan Hurely celebrates with Braylon Mullins after Mullins’ game-winning shot.
(Scott Taetsch via Getty Images)
Duke seized early control
The game looked like Duke’s to lose from the opening minutes. The Blue Devils opened the game with a 22-12 advantage. A 14-0 run extended that lead 40-21. At the break, Duke held a 44-29 lead, handing UConn its largest halftime deficit of the season.
But UConn slowly chipped away after the break. It posted a 16-6 run to cut Duke’s lead to 56-49. A Solo Ball and-1 layup cut Duke’s advantage to 67-65 with 3:42 remaining.
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Karaban delivers despite struggles
Alex Karaban, an All-Big East forward who started on UConn’s previous two NCAA championship teams, started the game 0 for 6 from the field. He didn’t score until the second half.
But when his number was called late, he answered. Karaban, who’s hit big shots throughout his NCAA tournament career, pulled up for a 3 and hit with 50.5 seconds remaining to cut Duke’s lead to 70-69.
Cam Boozer answered on the other end with a jumper to extend Duke’s lead back to 72-69. But it wasn’t enough to fend off Mullins’ late heroics that were set up by Demary’s 1-for-2 trip at the line with 10 seconds remaining.
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Tarris Reed Jr. keeps UConn in the game
While Duke built its big early lead, All Big East forward Tarris Reed Jr. kept the UConn ship steady. He took the court as UConn’s only inside answer to Duke’s dominant frontcourt led by Cam Boozer and flanked by Patrick Ngongba and Maliq Brown.
Reed was unfazed by Duke’s defense and led UConn with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks while shooting 10 of 16 from the field. Cam Boozer countered with a strong line of 27 points, 8 rebounds 4 assists and 2 blocks. But his buckets didn’t come easy as he regularly met resistance from Reed.
Karaban had a poor game by his or any standard. He tallied just 5 points while shooting 2 of 10 from the field. He shot 1 of 6 from 3, contributing to UConn’s 1-of-18 start from long distance. But he didn’t shrink when UConn needed him, and the Huskies don’t advance without his late 3.
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UConn ultimately rallied to shoot 5 of 23 (22%) from 3, none bigger, of course, than Mullins’ game winner. Mullins finished the game with 10 points and one of the biggest shots in NCAA tournament history.
Duke outshot UConn from the field, 52% to 44%, and secured a 34-28 advantage on the boards. But it lost the turnover battle 13-5. And its final turnover of the game proved to be one too many.
