UConn Hits Buzzer Beater To Make Final Four & Beat Duke

Fandoms, rivalries, and debates are the backbone of sports, but the one nearly universally agreed upon thing is the hatred for all things Duke.

And that hate gets magnified during the NCAA March Madness tournament every year, when they just seem to always make deep runs.

Now, Duke haters can unite because they not only lost, but in a dramatic, heartbreaking fashion during their Elite Eight game against UConn.

In the first half, it looked like Duke’s typical winning ways were in full swing, as the overall No. 1 seed built up a 19-point lead. At the half, they were up 44-29, but the switch flipped heading into the second half when UConn got more physical.

They quickly began chipping away at the lead, as Duke’s shot-making stagnated and they had a few key turnovers. 

Duke held on to a 2-point lead with 10 seconds left, and when attempting to inbound the ball, UConn played lockdown defense to force their last shot.

Cayden Boozer got the ball and tried to pass it down court to run out the clock, but UConn freshman Braylon Mullins got the deflection and sank a logo three with 2 seconds to go.

Duke couldn’t make anything happen with 0.3 seconds left, sending UConn to the final four.

Mullins spoke about the shot after the game, breaking down what was going through his mind as the clock dwindled. 

“I looked up at the clock and it said five seconds, so I tried to get the ball to somebody who had made one in the game and he wanted to throw it back,” Mullins said in an interview after the game. “So I saw three seconds, it was the last shot. I’m just happy to see that s–t go in. I’m so happy.”

UConn coach Dan Hurley reveled in the moment, pointing to the spirit that embodies what March Madness is.

“It just felt like the window where you’ve just got to let March Madness take over,” Hurley said. “March magic.”

See social media’s reaction below. Fair warning, they may have been more amped about Duke’s loss than UConn’s win.