Three Reasons Why UConn’s Thrilling Elite Eight Victory Over Duke Defied Logic, and One Reason Why It Didn’t

For the third time in four seasons, UConn is going to the men’s Final Four.

How the Huskies advanced past No. 1 seed Duke on Sunday evening in Washington, D.C., still requires some processing. The Blue Devils led the Huskies by as many as 19 points in the contest, appearing primed to cruise into a second consecutive Final Four of their own.

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But this is college basketball, and perhaps more importantly, THIS. IS. MARCH.

Huskies freshman Braylon Mullins hit a game-winning three from the half-court logo with four-tenths of a second to play to shock the Blue Devils. It was one of those “remember where you were” shots that you’ll recall decades from now when the highlight plays on television.

UNREAL SHOT BY BRAYLON MULLINS!!!

(via @MarchMadnessMBB)pic.twitter.com/yJS8YjpV5h
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 29, 2026

The victory by UConn was as stunning as it was thrilling. Here are three reasons why the comeback win defied logic, and one reason why it didn’t.

UConn missed 17 of its first 18 three-point attempts

The Huskies could not throw the ball into the ocean from the boat for a majority of Sunday night’s contest. UConn entered the East Regional final ranked 130th nationally out of 361 teams in three-point percentage at 34.9% as a team for the season. That’s by no means elite, but it’s certainly respectable.

So when UConn missed on 17 of its first 18 attempts from three against Duke and found itself down double digits in the second half, it was fair to wonder whether or not this was the Huskies’ night.

Of course, that all flipped when the Huskies buried four of their final five three-point attempts, including the logo three from Mullins with less than a half-second to play.

It’s safe to say that the three-point shooting returned to the mean down the stretch, but a 5-of-23 mark from deep (22%) will lose a team most basketball games with today’s style of play.

The shot of a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/mns7L1n9ne
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 29, 2026

In a matchup of two of the best defensive teams in the country, Duke had the upper hand (until it didn’t)

Sunday was a matchup of two of the top 10 scoring defenses in Division I basketball, and for most of the contest, the Blue Devils held the upper hand.

We noted UConn’s struggles from three, which was a key reason for the Huskies finding themselves down by as many as 19 in the game. On the other end of the floor, UConn was having trouble containing Duke’s Cayden Boozer in the first half, and his twin brother Cameron underneath the basket. Cayden Boozer scored 15 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds, while Cameron Boozer led all scorers for the game with 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

As a team, Duke shot 52% from the field and 40% from three … and LOST.

As for UConn, the Huskies shot just 44% from the game, and as documented, made just 22% of their three-point attempts. But the one made at the end is the one we’ll all remember.

Duke owned a +6 advantage on the glass

Duke built its early lead thanks to not only its solid defensive effort, but also because of its work on the glass. The Blue Devils finished with a +6 advantage on the boards (34–28) with five players finishing with four or more rebounds, led by Cameron Boozer’s eight.

Usually, if you’re +6 on the glass, shooting 52% from the floor and holding your opponent to sub-45% shooting, you’ll generally be in good shape.

HOWEVER …

Live-ball turnovers killed Duke late, and the Blue Devils finished with 13 total turnovers to just five for UConn

For all of the statistics that favored Duke, the one that didn’t was key, and tells almost the entire story of the comeback.

Duke finished with 13 turnovers, eight of which came in the second half as UConn mounted its comeback. Cameron Boozer had four turnovers, while Cayden Boozer had three. Another three turnovers came from veteran guard Caleb Foster, who played his second consecutive game fewer than three weeks removed from surgery to repair a fractured foot.

No turnover was bigger than the one committed by Cayden Boozer with time waning, when he attempted to pass the ball into the frontcourt instead of holding onto it and getting fouled. His pass was deflected, resulting into the chaotic sequence that led to the Mullins game-winner.

Duke dominated most of the stats that matter, but the one that it didn’t is the reason why UConn is heading to Indianapolis and the Blue Devils are heading home to Durham.

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