Duke coach Jon Scheyer breaks down the final play and his thinking in the closing seconds against UConn.
UConn and Duke delivered one of the greatest NCAA men's basketball tournament games in recent memory, the kind of matchup that embodied every ounce of madness that March has the wonderful tendency to provide.
After trailing by as many as 17 points in the second half, the Huskies rallied for a 73-72 victory over the No. 1 overall seed Blue Devils in the Elite Eight on Sunday, March 29, with Braylon Mullins' logo 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining serving as the thrilling winning basket.
The millions of fans across the country trying to make sense of what unfolded in the game's final minutes weren't alone.
Speaking after yet another gutting NCAA tournament exit, Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he didn't have the words to describe exactly how he and his players were feeling after seeing their national title hopes dashed in such improbable fashion.
"I could not be more disappointed and feeling for our guys," Scheyer said in his post-game news conference. "At the same time, I'm just trying to process what happened. I don't have the words. I don't have the words."
For Scheyer, it marked the latest tournament heartbreak in his four-year tenure as the Blue Devils' coach after succeeding the legendary Mike Krzyzewski after the 2021-22 season.
In 2024, Duke lost to No. 11 seed NC State in the Elite Eight in a game they led by as many as nine. The following year, and with a team featuring top-five NBA Draft picks Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, it led Houston in the Final Four by seven with 1:15 remaining before getting outscored 11-1 the rest of the way in a 70-67 loss.
On Sunday, it led by 17 with 17 minutes remaining and was up nine with 4:50 left in regulation. The Blue Devils were outscored 15-5 in the game's final five minutes and attempted only four field goals in that time while UConn made seven of its final 10 shots, including four of its final five 3s.
That spurt was capped off in the final seconds when Duke's Cayden Boozer, with six seconds remaining and his team up two, had a pass deflected. The Huskies ended up with the ball and got it to Mullins, who hoisted up a 35-foot 3 that swished through the net with less than a second remaining.
The Blue Devils have gone 124-25 in four seasons under Scheyer, but have just one Final Four appearance and have yet to advance to the national championship game.
And the latest stumble just may have been the most painful.
"I'm incredibly sorry for these guys that they've got to go through this," Scheyer said. "This is on us. We're going to be in this together."