UConn will join Arizona, Illinois and Michigan in Indianapolis after the Huskies punched their ticket to the Final Four in dramatic fashion.
ESPN’s college basketball analysts Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf break down the instant NCAA tournament classic.
Relive Sunday’s action
How UConn won: Thirty-six years after Christian Laettner hit a buzzer-beater to defeat UConn in the Elite Eight and send Duke to the Final Four, the Huskies got their revenge.
UConn freshman Braylon Mullins stole the ball and buried a 3-pointer from 35 feet to cap a remarkable 19-point comeback. The Huskies, after trailing by double digits, advance to the Final Four for the third time in four years. Tarris Reed Jr.‘s 26 points kept the Huskies close, and a flurry of 3-pointers in the final four minutes pushed them over the top. National Player of the Year front-runner Cameron Boozer‘s final college game ended with 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists. — Jeff Borzello
Breaking down UConn’s comeback
What happened to Duke?!
Medcalf: UConn happened. The Huskies were a much better defensive team in the second half than they were in the first; the Blue Devils’ offensive efficiency in the second half was two-thirds of what it was in the first. UConn also matched Duke’s paint production overall (36-34 advantage for the Huskies) and turned the Blue Devils’ 13 turnovers into 20 points. The final minutes showcased Duke’s limitations and its reliance on Cameron Boozer. The star freshman has carried the Blue Devils through plenty of moments of adversity this season — and he nearly did it again. But Cayden Boozer‘s turnover set up Mullins’ game winner. Cam Boozer wasn’t in a position to save his team with the game on the line this time.
Borzello: The second half was much more UConn comeback than Duke collapse, but the Blue Devils certainly played their part. In the first half, they did essentially whatever they wanted on the offensive end. Most of their attack revolved around getting the ball to Cameron Boozer in the post, then he would finish over, around or through Alex Karaban — or wait for UConn to rotate over to help, then find an open teammate. Cayden Boozer and Dame Sarr made several big shots in the first half, providing consistent help to the National Player of the Year favorite.
Duke’s offense became far more bogged down in the second half, with UConn crowding Cameron Boozer more often and with more physicality. The other key was Duke losing its composure when it came to control, much like it did when St. John’s turned up the pressure early in the second half of the Sweet 16 matchup. In that game, Caleb Foster was able to change the momentum. On Sunday night, the final mistake came when Cayden Boozer made an ill-advised pass over a trap.
What was the biggest factor in UConn’s comeback?
Medcalf: Mullins’ go-ahead 3-pointer was the deciding factor. You had two great teams in a close game. Sometimes, you just need someone to play hero.
The Huskies also made 53% of their shots in the second half and committed only one turnover in the final 20 minutes (they had four in the first half). To escape a 19-point deficit, they couldn’t afford to be careless. They didn’t have the best player on the floor — although Reed certainly made a case that he can hold his own against anyone — but they were the better team. Cameron Boozer was 6-for-10 after halftime, but Duke’s other starters were for 1-for-4. The Huskies weren’t going to let anyone other than Boozer beat them.
Borzello: It sounds simple, but UConn started making shots. The Huskies’ entire first-half offense was Reed in the post. It was effective, but it was a grind to score while Duke was countering with Cameron Boozer inside and had complementary players hitting 3s. UConn made just one of its first 18 3-point attempts before hitting four of its final five 3s in the last seven minutes of the game.
For most of the second half, UConn had chances to cut Duke’s lead, but open 3s just weren’t falling. When Silas Demary Jr. hit back-to-back 3s from opposite corners to keep the Huskies within touching distance, it gave them a massive boost. Karaban, the winningest player in UConn history, missed his first five 3s but hit a huge one to cut the lead to one with 50 seconds left. And then there was the legendary Mullins shot. There were obviously other things — defense, physicality, mental fortitude — but it was clutch 3s late in the game that got the Huskies the win.
What moment will you remember most from this game?
Medcalf: I mean, I think we’ll pick the Mullins shot. That’ll be in the “One Shining Moment” video at the end of the tournament. It’s iconic, and it’ll make Mullins — a Greenfield, Indiana, native — a hero forever. But I’ll also think about Karaban’s big 3-pointer that cut Duke’s lead to one right before that. He’d been struggling all night and yet he made one of the biggest shots of the game. You have to appreciate the veteran still managing to step up despite things not really going his way most of the game.
Borzello: Can it be anything but the Mullins shot? It’s one of the greatest shots in the history of the NCAA tournament — a 35-footer to cap a 19-point comeback against the overall No. 1 seed and advance to the Final Four — while also giving your team its first lead since the opening minute of the game. The fact that it came from an Indiana native to send his team to Indianapolis only makes it more special.
UConn-Duke by the numbers
Courtesy of ESPN Research
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Until Sunday, No. 1 seeds were 134-0 when leading by 15 or more points at halftime. Duke had been 27-0 in the tournament when leading by 15 or more points at halftime.
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UConn‘s 19-point comeback is tied for the third largest in the Elite Eight or later in NCAA tournament history.
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UConn started the game just 1-of-18 from the 3-point line, then made four of its last five attempts from deep, including the winner.
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Braylon Mullins was 0-for-4 from 3-point range prior to his game winner.
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Duke was up by as much as 19 points against UConn, and one other team in this NCAA tournament blew a 19-point lead: the Blue Devils’ rival, North Carolina, in the round of 64 against VCU.
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At the half, Cameron Boozer and Cayden Boozer had almost as many points together (27) as the entire UConn team combined (29).
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This was Duke‘s third loss of the season, and in each defeat the Blue Devils were ahead by double digits at one point: Dec. 20 vs Texas Tech, led by 17, lost by 1; Feb. 7 at North Carolina, led by 13, lost by 3; Sunday vs UConn, led by 19, lost by 1.
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With 1:33 left in the first half, UConn‘s in-game win probability was as low as 1.3% with Duke leading 44-25.
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UConn led this game for 51.4 seconds (2-0 for 51 seconds, 73-72 for 0.4 seconds).
How Michigan won: The Wolverines delivered a knockout blow in the first half and cruised from there, displaying the passing, offensive variety and overall depth that makes them a bona fide contender to win their first national title since 1989. Michigan never looked back after a 21-0 run and matched Tennessee’s tempo and offensive aggression early in the second half to stretch out its lead. Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg was the best player at the Midwest regional, finishing with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists and no turnovers against Tennessee. He received help from fellow transfers Aday Mara and Elliot Cadeau, who had a game-high 10 assists.
Tennessee’s only chance was to supplement its offensive rebounding talent with strong perimeter shooting, but the Volunteers didn’t have nearly enough offensive outside of Ja’Kobi Gillespie (21 points) to avoid dropping their third straight Elite Eight matchup. Michigan moves on to Indianapolis and will face Arizona in the Final Four. — Adam Rittenberg