What a night it was in Washington, D.C., as the UConn Huskies staged one of the most remarkable comebacks in NCAA Tournament history, sending shockwaves through college basketball and setting the stage for a dramatic Final Four appearance in Indianapolis. Freshman guard Braylon Mullins, a name now etched in March Madness lore, delivered a heart-stopping, 35-foot three-pointer with fractions of a second left to topple the No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils, 73-72. The Huskies, trailing by as many as 19 points and down 44-29 at halftime, clawed their way back to secure their third Final Four berth in just four years.
For UConn, this win wasn’t just about a single shot. It was a testament to relentless determination, a refusal to quit, and—let’s be honest—a little bit of magic. The Huskies, who captured the national championship in both 2023 and 2024, are now chasing a historic third title in four years, a feat not accomplished since the legendary UCLA teams of the 1970s.
Let’s rewind to those final, pulse-pounding moments. With Duke holding a two-point lead and the ball with just over ten seconds remaining, it seemed as though the Blue Devils were destined for another trip to the Final Four. But UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins had other ideas. After Demary got a hand on a Cayden Boozer pass, Mullins scooped up the loose ball in the backcourt and quickly dished it to senior Alex Karaban. Karaban, the winningest player in UConn history, immediately returned the ball to Mullins—setting up a moment for the ages.
With the clock ticking down and defenders closing in, Mullins launched a deep three-pointer from near the logo. The ball soared through the air, the arena holding its collective breath. Swish. The Huskies had seized the lead with just 0.3 seconds left. "A March hero is born!" exclaimed CBS Sports commentator Billy Raftery, capturing the euphoria of the moment.
"I tried to find someone who had actually made a 3, but I got the ball back to me and saw 3 seconds left, so I knew I needed to shoot it," Mullins explained after the game. The Indiana native, who grew up just outside of Indianapolis, now returns home for the Final Four, ready for an encore in front of friends and family. For Mullins, this was more than a clutch shot—it was the culmination of a lifelong dream and a career-defining moment.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley couldn’t contain his admiration for his freshman star. "He’s a rare human being. Just to have the guts to take that shot and make that shot," Hurley said. Even Karaban, who assisted on the play, was in awe: "When I saw him release it, I was like, that really might go in." And Mullins? His confidence was unwavering. "Hell yeah," he said when asked if he thought the shot would drop. "You got to have the confidence."
Mullins’ journey to this moment is the stuff of Indiana basketball legend. Named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American in 2025, he averaged a staggering 32.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 3.7 steals per game as a high school senior, shooting an eye-popping 47.2% from beyond the arc. Ranked as the No. 2 shooting guard in the country, he chose UConn over blue-blood programs like North Carolina and Indiana.
His freshman campaign in Storrs hasn’t been without adversity. Mullins missed seven games due to nagging injuries and a concussion, but since entering the starting lineup in early December, he’s found his rhythm—boosting his three-point shooting to 37.1%. Heading into the NCAA Tournament, he was averaging 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, with a 34.5% clip from deep. As The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie noted, "When Mullins is rolling, few shooters in the country can take over games as he can. His lightning-quick release and ability to fly off of movement and fire have brought him into the NBA Draft conversation."
But Mullins wasn’t the only Husky hero on Saturday night. Tarris Reed Jr. delivered a monster performance, pouring in 26 points and grabbing nine rebounds, along with four blocks, three assists, and two steals. Reed’s tournament run has been nothing short of dominant—he’s averaged 21.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 blocks across four games, including an eye-opening 31-point, 27-rebound showing in the first round against Furman. "It was just trying to win at this point," Reed said. "It could be my last college basketball game, and they were just like, go for it all. Coach told us before the game, you've got to swing for the fences, go as hard as you can ... Trying to keep the team alive. Eventually guys were going to knock down shots, which they did."
UConn’s comeback was fueled by resilience, but it also required some late-game shooting heroics. The Huskies started ice-cold from deep, making just one of their first 18 three-point attempts. Back-to-back threes from Demary with seven minutes left sparked the rally, and Karaban’s triple with 50 seconds remaining cut Duke’s lead to just one. "If we were going to win the game, we were going to have to make a couple of 3s down the stretch," Hurley said. "Obviously Braylon's look at the end was a bomb, but Silas' looks, they were clean. I thought we got a lot of good looks ... We just haven't had that shooting magic, but then we did."
For Duke, the loss was devastating—a second consecutive season ending in heartbreak after a late-game collapse. Head coach Jon Scheyer was candid about the pain: "There's not a person in this room, including me, that doesn't replay everything that you could do and how you can help. That's part of being in this seat. That's part of being in this spot ... End of the day, we've got to finish it off." Despite a 27-point, eight-rebound, four-assist night from National Player of the Year frontrunner Cameron Boozer, the Blue Devils couldn’t close the deal, leaving their fans stunned and their season over.
As the Huskies cut down the nets at Capital One Arena, chants of "Three in four!" echoed through the building—a nod to UConn’s remarkable consistency and their shot at college basketball immortality. Next up is a national semifinal clash with Illinois on Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Indianapolis. For Braylon Mullins, Tarris Reed Jr., and the rest of this resilient UConn squad, the journey continues. With history on the line and destiny calling, the Huskies are ready to seize their moment once again.