Duke has suffered a brutal tournament loss. A 35-footer at the buzzer sent UConn to the Final Four. Braylon Mullins hit the shot with 0.3 seconds remaining.
It will live on forever in Durham.
Mullins’ Miracle Shot Stuns Duke
Mullins was 0-for-4 from deep before his shot. He finished with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Alex Karaban passed to Mullins who drilled the game-winning shot. Jon Scheyer was shocked.
Cayden Boozer was trapped and tried to throw a pass. The pass was tipped and stolen. The ball then found Karaban, who passed to Mullins.
One person said they do not believe what they just saw. Another reacted with, “NO! NO! NO! NO! I KNOW IT’S MARCH BUT THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN.”
That is one of the greatest shots in college basketball history.
UConn’s Coach Hails His Team’s Toughness
Dan Hurley was on the court after the game. He said, “Those Boozer boys … they’re the toughest people I’ve ever shared the court with.” He is now an inner-circle all-time March Madness coach.
UConn ran almost 16 seconds off the clock before Silas Demary Jr. was fouled. He missed the first free throw and made the second.
UConn has been in the lead for maybe five total minutes.
Duke’s Collapse Under Scrutiny
They’ll be studying that game for decades. Some will argue the Michigan-Arizona game will decide the national title now that Duke are out.
Two massive, inexplicable late collapses for Duke have happened in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. Duke kept passing it around rather than going to get fouled.
One person asked, “What is it with ACC teams and just throwing the ball in the air. Virginia are you watching this one?” Another said it was the most YOLO pass in the NCAA Tournament since Kihei Clark against Furman.
Looking Ahead to the Final Four
The tournament moves on without Duke. Illinois and UConn will be a great game. It will probably be high scoring. Both teams are good enough to knock off either Michigan or Arizona.
Here is what Braylon Mullins had to say on the court after the game:
💬 “I looked up at the clock and it said 5 seconds so I gave the ball to someone who had made one in the game, and he (passed) it back so I looked up and I saw 3 seconds, it was the last shot, just happy to see that shit go in.”
The tournament is moving on without Duke, and the Final Four is set to be one for the ages.