UConn Completes Historic 19-Point Rally to Stun Duke in Final Seconds

Miracle Shot Caps Historic Comeback

College basketball witnessed one of its most stunning upsets when UConn freshman Braylon Mullins buried a 3-pointer from 35 feet with 0.4 seconds left to give the Huskies an astonishing 73-72 victory over top-seeded Duke, earning them a spot in the Final Four after they rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit. The shot came after Duke's Cayden Boozer's pass near midcourt was deflected by UConn's Silas Demary, and after the Huskies came up with the ball, Mullins swished the desperation three from way downtown.

UConn's win ties the sixth-largest comeback in NCAA tournament history and 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. The victory sends Connecticut to the Final Four for the third time in four years, looking to become the first team since UCLA in the 1970s to win three national championships in four years. The last two times UConn got there, it won the national championship.

For Mullins, who finished with 10 points, the moment crystallized perfectly. "We were trying to foul the worst free-throw shooter on the floor, and Silas ended up deflecting the pass," Mullins said. "I knew I had to put one up. Man, I'm just happy that was the one that went down tonight."

Duke's Dominance Crumbles

The game looked like Duke's to lose from the opening minutes. The Blue Devils opened with a 22-12 advantage, then a 14-0 run extended that lead to 40-21. At the break, Duke held a 44-29 lead, handing UConn its largest halftime deficit of the season. Duke's first half was as dominant a performance as any team has had against UConn during the Huskies' four-year run of success, with the 14-0 run being the largest against the Huskies in any game since they moved back to the Big East.

The Blue Devils' collapse proved particularly painful given recent history. For the third straight season, Duke's season ended in stunning fashion, and for the second straight year with a late-game collapse. It's the second straight season to end in a huge collapse for Duke, which was the top overall seed in this year's tournament. The Blue Devils led by six with 1:14 remaining before falling to Houston in last year's national semifinals.

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer struggled to process the loss, telling reporters postgame: "I could not be more disappointed and feeling for our guys. At the same time, trying to process what happened. I don't have the words."

Championship Dreams Alive

UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. carried the Huskies offensively, finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals. That capped a four-game tournament run for Reed that started with a historic first-round performance against Furman in which had 31 points and 27 rebounds. Despite shooting just 5 of 23 from 3-point range, with the Huskies missing 17 of their first 18 attempts from beyond the arc , Connecticut found a way to prevail when it mattered most.

Head coach Dan Hurley praised Mullins' "courage" in his postgame interview, describing him as a "rare human being." He then connected the victory to the program's championship culture: "It's the UConn culture, it's the UConn heart. 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."

UConn joins Arizona, Michigan and Illinois in the Final Four and will play Illinois in Saturday's national semifinal. The UConn men will play No. 3 Illinois in the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 4. With both their men's and women's teams advancing to the Final Four, UConn has positioned itself for another potential double championship run, something they accomplished in both 2004 and 2014.