UConn’s March Miracle; Duke goes out in Heartbreaking Fashion Again!
You may not like Dan Hurley, but his UConn Huskies basketball team just pulled off one of the most memorable March Madness miracles we have ever seen. Believe it or not, #1 seeds were 134-0 when leading by 15+ points at half-time. That record became 134-1 Sunday evening when Braylon Mullins sunk a 3 from the logo with 0.4 seconds remaining to pull off one of the best comebacks in tournament history.
UConn’s first half struggles
Every coach has been where Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies were Sunday evening. Big time matchup in a big time setting. We’ve rehearsed the many different ways the game may go, and how we may attack certain problems that arise throughout the game. But at the end of the day, your team has to hit shots & if you aren’t hitting shots – then you really gotta work for defensive stops. Easier said than done of course.
That’s where UConn found itself in the first half against Duke; an Elite 8 matchup for the ages. UConn trailed Duke 44-25 with 2 minutes to go in the half & would cut the lead down to 44-29 before halftime. The Huskies were shooting a whopping 12/34 from the field, including 1/11 from 3 PT range. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils were on fire: future lottery pick Cam Boozer had 13 points & twin brother Cayden Boozer had 12 points to lead Duke into half.
UConn’s second half rally
Tarris Reed opened the scoring for the Huskies in the second half. Reed, once again this tournament, was a force to deal with & went toe-to-toe with projected lottery pick Cameron Boozer. Reed scored 9 of UConn’s first 16 points to open the half, including a steal and breakaway dunk to bring the game within 10, 55-45. Solo Ball scored 6 points in the final 5 minutes of the game, including a huge AND-ONE on Cameron Boozer to cut Duke’s lead to 65-67 with 3:42 to go. That’s when we knew the Huskies may have a chance.
Fellow starter Silas Demary would score 9 of his 11 points in the second half, including 2 of UConn’s 5 total three PT FG’s made for the game. Senior Forward Alex Karaban, and freshman guard Braylon Mullins would save their best for last. Karaban would miss his first 6 shot attempts and scored his first layup of the game with 12 minutes to go. But it was Hurley who trusted Karaban – running him thru multiple pin down screens to get an open look – 4 feet behind the 3 PT line with 50 seconds left. Karaban would deliver, hitting nothing but net and sending shockwaves thru the TV’s of everyone watching.
Last minute thriller
Now it’s a 70-69 game…Duke calls timeout, executes their set play to Boozer perfectly, who puts them ahead 72-69… Hurley & UConn now want a timeout. UConn tries to run some similar pin-down action for Karaban but Duke executes the switch perfectly, forcing Demary to keep the ball. He attacks Boozers outside hip, draws the foul & goes to the line. Exactly 10 seconds left. First FT is no good, and the thought most fans had to have had was “well that’s game.”
Demary makes the 2nd FT, and UConn immediately rushes up into their Full-Court Press. Duke inbounds the ball to Cam Boozer who passes it to brother Cayden Boozer — Silas Demary and Braylon Mullins rush Boozer near the midcourt line and get a tip on the ball… Mullins grabs it and passes it ahead to Karaban. Karaban looks to shoot, decides against it, & passes it back to 2025 Indiana Mr. Basketball, Braylon Mullins, who made his way up to the logo. Without hesitation, Mullins fires away and everyone holds their breath as the ball travels a perfect arc and cashes thru the net.
UNBELIEVABLE! We know some viewers at home jumped off their couches after watching that shot go in. Even if you aren’t fans of UConn or Hurley, it’s hard not to enjoy an ending like that. It’s what basketball is all about, & it’s what makes March Madness so special. A kid from Indiana, stepping up with some major stones and delivering his team to the final four in Indianapolis!
UConn: The epitome of grit
If you know anything about Dan Hurley & the way he coaches then this comeback may not totally surprise you. Hurley and his UConn teams are the epitome of grit & toughness. They were just as good of a team as Duke, but they certainly weren’t showing that in the first half. But if you noticed anything about the Huskies, you noticed the way they never stopped fighting. Dan Hurley, his staff, his players: they never thought the game was over.
If there’s anything fellow coaches, players, & readers should take away from this game, it should be “How do I build a culture like this? How can I get my team to battle the way UConn does? How can I get my team to show the heart & determination that they played with?”
It takes time to build that culture. It takes having tough-minded kids, a tough-minded coach, and tough-minded parents reinforcing behaviors and pushing their kids to have a “never lay down” mindset. Unless you’re a Duke fan, how could you not enjoy the comeback that UConn pulled off in the Elite 8? A 1 seed vs 2 seed matchup turned into David vs Goliath. David(UConn) stayed the course, trusted the process and kept doing what they have been built to do. They worked harder for stops defensively, and everyone stepped up to make big play after big play until they were just in reach to steal the game.
Ultimately, it made for one of the most exciting games in tournament history, capped off with a logo 3 to win the game. Unfortunately, for Duke, this is the 2nd season in a row they’ve choked a huge lead and lost the game in the final seconds…more on that below.
Top 5 March Madness Endings since 2021
- #1 overall seed Duke vs #2 seed UConn – ELITE 8 2026
- See above
- #1 overall seed Gonzaga vs #11 seed UCLA – FINAL 4 2021
- UCLA and Coach Mick Cronin would go on a legendary run to the Final Four as an 11 seed play-in game, eventually matching up with 30-0 Gonzaga. It was a heavyweight title bout, with each team trading blows and exchanging leads all the way until the final moments. Johnny Juzang led UCLA with 29 points, including the game-tying bucket at 90-90 in OT. Gonzaga inbounded it to Jalen Suggs, who took 3 dribbles to the logo and banked in a game-winning 3 pointer. Gonzaga wins 93-90 in OT.
- #1 seed Duke vs #1 seed Houston – FINAL 4 2025
- Duke and Cooper Flagg grew a 6 point lead at half into a 13 point lead with 10 minutes to go in the game. Duke was leading 64-55 with 3 minutes to go but Houston had other ideas. Houston went on a wild 15-3 run to close the game and shock everyone. Houston wins 70-67.
- #1 seed Florida vs #1 seed Houston – NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2025
- Coming off the heels of the dramatic Duke vs Houston Final 4 matchup, was an equally great national title game between the gators and cougars. Unfortunately for Houston, Florida did to them what they had just done to Duke. Houston scored just 5 points during the final 5 minute stretch of this game. Walter Clayton Jr. of Florida hit the game tying 3 at 60-60, and senior FAU transfer Alijah Martin hit the FT’s to give the gators the lead at 64-63. This game had it’s march moment at the end – as Houston had the ball on the final possession and scrambled to get a good look. Florida gets a great closeout in the closing seconds as E. Sharp looks to get a shot off, only to pass the ball away…Florida escapes 65-63.
- #1 seed Houston vs #4 seed Purdue – SWEET 16 2025
- Pretty much a home game for the boilermakers as they played in front of thousands inside Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. Another sweet 16 showdown that saw both teams exchanging blow for blow. Houston held a 57-50 lead with 5 minutes to go, but it was purdue who would go on a 10-3 run to tie the game at 60 apiece, after a huge fadeaway corner 3 from Cam Heide. Houston would be forced into a BLOB play underneath their basket with 2 seconds to go. Houston exposed Purdue’s jumpswitching defensive tactic and Jojo Tuggler would pass the ball back to inbounder Milos Uzan for a wide open lay up at the rim…Houston wins 62-60.
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