The Final Four is now set — Arizona, Michigan, Illinois and … UConn? For 55 minutes yesterday, it looked as if the Duke Blue Devils, the top overall seed, would cruise to an easy win over UConn to make the Final Four. Then came one of the greatest comebacks in recent college basketball history.
In today’s newsletter, we’ll break it all down for you. For more March Madness coverage, as always, come visit us at NBC News.
A March Miracle
In the final game of the Elite Eight, Duke seemed on its way to a blowout win over UConn, another ho-hum game in a tournament full of them.
At one point, the Blue Devils were leading by 19 points. At halftime, they were up by 15. With about five minutes remaining, they still had a 9-point lead.
But the Huskies kept chipping away until they had pulled within 2 points with 10 seconds left. As Duke inbounded the ball, UConn had a full-court press on. The ball eventually found its way to Cayden Boozer, Duke’s freshman guard, who tried to lob a pass to an open teammate, only to have a UConn defender deflect it for a steal.
The clock was ticking as UConn’s Alex Karaban passed the ball to Braylon Mullins, another freshman, who hadn’t made a 3-pointer all game. Mullins launched a shot from 35 feet and … swish. UConn had taken the lead, with less than a second remaining.
“Just happy to see that [expletive] go in,” Mullins said moments later, in a postgame interview. “Man, I’m so happy.”
As far as March Miracles go, UConn is not an underdog by any means. The Huskies won back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024. But perhaps that experience served UConn coach Dan Hurley well, when his team fell behind by such a large margin.
“At halftime, coach said, we’ve got to swing for the fences,” recalled UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. “We’ve got to give it all we’ve got.”
Late in the second half, UConn’s 3-pointers finally started to drop, which helped its cause. Duke also made that late, costly turnover.
After the steal, UConn had the ball with about five seconds remaining. Hurley could’ve called a timeout, diagrammed a play. Instead, he let his players take control.
“It’s gut instinct,” Hurley said. “It just felt like the window where you’ve just got to let March Madness take over, March Magic.”
How’s this for magic? Mullins, an Indiana native, hit the shot to send the Huskies to the Final Four, which is being held this year in Indianapolis. Sometimes, the storybook ending writes itself.
Duke Blues
After the loss, Duke’s freshman phenom Cameron Boozer sat for a press conference, his eyes looking puffy and wet. This surely had been his final collegiate game. Boozer is expected to enter the NBA Draft and be a top pick come June.
“I’m hurting right now,” Boozer said. “We’re all hurting. I wish I could have gave more for those guys.”
Boozer is the latest in a long line of top prospects who chose to spend their one college season at Duke, before heading to the NBA. In the past decade alone, the list includes Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, Paolo Banchero, Cooper Flagg, and Kon Knueppel.
But none of those players won a national title. Now Boozer hasn’t, either.
Boozer is hardly to blame, though. A bruising, 6-foot-9 forward — and the son of NBA great Carlos Boozer — he averaged about 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists per game this season. In the UConn game, he scored a game-high 27 points.
In a cruel twist of fate, Cameron had to watch as his twin, Cayden Boozer, made the turnover that sealed the Blue Devils’ fate. If Cayden had just held onto the ball, and taken a foul from the UConn defender, Duke likely could’ve iced the game at the free-throw line.
“Yeah, we just have to secure it, right?” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “We’ve just got to hold on.”
But Scheyer emphasized the loss, letting the lead slip away, didn’t come down to one play.
“There’s not a person in this room, including me, that doesn’t replay everything that you could do and how you can help,” he said. “End of the day, we’ve got to finish it off.”
What We’re Reading
If both the UConn men’s and women’s teams make their respective national championship games, it could mean free furniture for fans.
Italy needs a win tomorrow to make the World Cup. How did the former soccer powerhouse get here?
The NFL is moving ahead with hiring replacement refs, sources told The Associated Press.
Mets fans are already booing offseason signing Bo Bichette.
One MLB umpire had six pitches overturned in one game, including consecutive called third-strikes.
Ilia Malinin’s bounce-back performance is a fresh start for the Quadgod.
Tottenham Hotspur fired its coach, again, over the weekend. Who’s next?
What We’re Watching
Tonight, we have the last two games of the Elite Eight, in the women’s bracket. No. 1 seeds UConn and UCLA have already advanced to the Final Four. Can fellow top-seeded South Carolina and Texas get there, too? Plus, a couple of fun NBA matchups on Peacock. Anytime Victor Wembanyama plays on national TV is appointment viewing.
All times are Eastern:
- 7 p.m.: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 Michigan, on ESPN
- 7 p.m.: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat, on Peacock
- 8 p.m.: Chicago Bulls vs. San Antonio Spurs, on Peacock
- 9 p.m.: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 3 TCU, on ESPN
That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.
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