March Madness hit back at Duke in its Elite Eight matchup against Connecticut. On the verge of a second straight Final Four with an entirely new starting five, the Blue Devils squandered a 19-point lead, undone by untimely turnovers and an all-time long distance 3-pointer.
UConn is headed to the Final Four after Bryson Mullins’ 3-pointer from over 35 feet gave the second-seeded Huskies a stunning 73-72 victory in the East Regional Final.
Duke took the lead at 4-2 with 94 seconds into the game and maintained it until Mullins’ 3-pointer from the March Madness logo went through with 0.4 seconds remaining in the second half, a play set up by Duke’s eighth second-half turnover.
UConn, which trailed by 15 at the half, had slowly chipped away at the Duke edge throughout the second half and cut it to 70-69 on a 3-pointer by Alex Karaban with 50 seconds remaining. Boozer, Duke’s answer all season, delivered again with a bucket in the paint to extend the lead to 72-69.
Up three, Boozer fouled UConn’s Silas Demary Jr., with 10 seconds left. Demary missed the first and then made the second. Duke inbounded the ball, trying to run out the clock. Cayden Boozer’s pass ahead attempt, however, was deflected, and Mullins chased down the loose ball. He passed to Karaban, who tossed it back to Mullins – and the freshman hit the game-winner.
Cameron Boozer led the Blue Devils with 27 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Cayden Boozer had 15 points, five rebounds and six assists.But the twins had seven of Duke’s 12 turnovers between them.
A Blue Devil season that seemed destined to appear in the Final Four, with a shot at redemption, was over. It happened so quickly. In a highly anticipated matchup between two programs that have won a combined 11 national titles since 1991, it is UConn that gets to go on.
Final Four Fodder
UConn will be joined by Michigan, Illinois, and Arizona. I like Michigan over Arizona in one semifinal and Illinois over UConn in the other semi. Your national champion will be Michigan.
