UConn rallies, stuns Duke on last-second 3 to succeed in Final Four

WASHINGTON — Thirty-six years after Christian Laettner hit a buzzer-beater to beat UConn within the Elite Eight and ship Duke to the boys’s Final Four, the Huskies acquired their revenge.

UConn freshman Braylon Mullins — who grew up simply exterior of Indianapolis and can return dwelling searching for extra magic — stole the ball and buried a 3-pointer from 35 toes to cap a exceptional 19-point comeback and provides the Huskies a 73-72 win.

They advance to the Final Four for the third time in 4 years.

“It’s a UConn culture, a UConn heart,” coach Dan Hurley mentioned. “We believe we’re supposed to win this time of year.”

UConn trailed by as many as 19 factors within the first half, and Duke nonetheless led by double digits with simply over six minutes left. But Tarris Reed Jr.‘s 26 factors saved the Huskies shut and a flurry of 3-pointers within the remaining 4 minutes pushed UConn excessive.

The Blue Devils led by three earlier than UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. made certainly one of two free throws with 10 seconds left. With Duke taking part in keep-away to stop the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer‘s move close to midcourt was deflected, and after UConn got here up with the ball, Mullins made a shot from nicely past the 3-point line.

It’s the second straight season to finish in an enormous collapse for Duke, which was the highest total seed on this yr’s match. The Blue Devils led by six with 1:14 remaining earlier than falling to Houston in final yr’s nationwide semifinals.

In what was most likely his remaining faculty recreation, Naismith Player of the Year front-runner Cameron Boozer had 27 factors, eight rebounds and 4 assists.

With the Huskies’ win, the Final Four is about. Illinois will face UConn and Michigan will tackle Arizona subsequent Saturday, with the winners squaring off two nights later for the nationwide title.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.