The No. 2 Connecticut Huskies will play in their third Final Four in four seasons after a stunning, come-from-behind victory against the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils in the final game of the men’s Elite Eight on Sunday.
The Huskies were trailing for most of the game — from the 18:26 mark of the first half until the final second of regulation — but won 73-72 after an improbable 3-pointer from freshman guard Braylon Mullins with 0.3 seconds left.
“It’s still a loss of words, still processing what just happened,” Mullins said during his postgame press conference. “I knew I had to put one up. I’m just happy that was the one that went down tonight.”
The Blue Devils led by as many as 19 points and held an 11-point advantage with 7:59 left in the second half. Connecticut managed to finish the game on a 22-10 run, shocking Duke after a topsy-turvy final few minutes.
With 1:51 left in the second half, Patrick Ngongba II hit a free throw to put the Blue Devils ahead 70-65. After a free throw and then a steal by Tarris Reed Jr., Alex Karaban hit a 3 to cut Duke’s lead to 70-69.
Cameron Boozer answered with a bucket to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to three points, only for Duke to fumble the game away.
First, on a possession that was stalling as time ticked away, Boozer fouled Silas Demary Jr., which sent him to the line, where he hit only one free throw.
The Blue Devils had a 72-70 lead and the ball with 10.0 seconds on the clock. But after the ensuing inbounds, a Cayden Boozer pass was tipped and stolen by Mullins.
After a quick hit-ahead pass, Mullins got the ball back and unleashed a 35-foot 3-pointer for the win.
Meanwhile, had a Duke player simply held on to the ball, the Huskies would have been forced to foul because the Blue Devils were not in danger of a 10-second backcourt violation.
“I could not be more disappointed and feeling for our guys,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer told reporters postgame. “At the same time, trying to process what happened. I don’t have the words.”
He added: “This is on us.”
Said Cameron Boozer: “I learned so much this year, I’m never going to take it for granted. I’m super thankful right now. I’m hurting right now, we’re all hurting. I wish I could’ve gave more for those guys.”
Connecticut advances to the Final Four, while Duke will be denied a repeat trip after it lost to Houston in the semifinals last season — another game in which the Blue Devils squandered a late lead.
The Huskies, on the other hand, will be looking for their third national championship since 2023.
