UConn 73, Duke 72 — Elite Eight recap

Sunday, March 29, 2026 | Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

The takeaway: Duke was 10 seconds away from the Final Four, and 20 minutes away from what looked like a comfortable win. Instead, the Blue Devils watched a 15-point halftime lead and a late three-point edge disappear in a crushing 73-72 loss to UConn, capped by Braylon Mullins’ 35-footer with 0.4 seconds left. Duke led by as many as 19 in the first half, but UConn’s pressure, second-half shot-making, and a chaotic final sequence turned the East Regional final into one of the wildest finishes of March. (ESPN.com)

Score & line

• Final: UConn 73, Duke 72
• Halftime: Duke 44, UConn 29
• Records after the game: UConn advanced to the Final Four at 33-5; Duke’s season ended at 35-3. (ESPN.com)

Key stats

UConn shot 28-for-64 (43.8%) overall, just 5-for-23 (21.7%) from three, and 12-for-17 at the foul line. Duke shot 24-for-50 (48.0%), hit 7 of 15 threes (46.7%), and went 17-for-24 on free throws. But the turnover line was decisive: Duke committed 13 turnovers, UConn turned those into 20 points, and the Blue Devils had eight giveaways in the second half alone. UConn also finished with 36 points in the paint and 15 second-chance points. (University of Connecticut Athletics)

For Duke, Cameron Boozer led the way with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Cayden Boozer added 15 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, while Dame Sarr chipped in 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Duke also got 7 points from Nikolas Khamenia and 7 from Patrick Ngongba II off the bench. For UConn, Tarris Reed Jr. was the game’s interior force with 26 points and 9 rebounds, Silas Demary Jr. had 11 points, and Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins each scored 10. Alex Karaban scored only 5, but his late three and calm passing in the final scramble were enormous. (University of Connecticut Athletics)

Game flow — the moments that mattered

For much of the first half, this looked like Duke’s game. The Blue Devils built control with efficient offense and sharp perimeter shooting, stretching the margin to 44-25 late in the half before taking a 44-29 lead into the locker room. UConn had made just 1 of its first 18 three-point attempts at one point and looked in real danger of getting run off the floor. (ESPN.com)

But UConn never broke. The Huskies started chipping away in pieces, exactly as Reuters described it, and gradually changed the tone of the game with tougher half-court defense and more aggressive downhill offense. Duke briefly restored order and rebuilt a double-digit lead in the second half, but UConn answered with another push and kept hanging around until the final minutes. (Reuters)

The key swing came late. UConn closed to 67-65 with 3:42 left when Solo Ball raced out and completed a three-point play off an Isaiah Evans turnover. Then Alex Karaban hit his only three of the game with 50 seconds left to pull UConn within 70-69, tightening the pressure on every Duke possession. Cameron Boozer answered with a basket for a 72-69 Duke lead, but Silas Demary Jr. made 1 of 2 free throws with 10 seconds remaining to make it 72-70, setting up the final madness. (Reuters)

What happened next will be replayed for years. Trying to avoid fouls and run out the clock, Duke inbounded and advanced the ball near midcourt, but Demary deflected Cayden Boozer’s pass. UConn recovered the loose ball, Karaban quickly moved it, and Mullins launched from deep. After missing his first four threes of the night, the freshman buried the fifth — a 35-footer with 0.4 seconds left — for UConn’s first lead since 2-0. Duke never got another chance. (ESPN.com)

Player notes & lineup context

Using the current 2025-26 game rotation, Duke started Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr, Isaiah Evans, and Maliq Brown. UConn started Tarris Reed Jr., Silas Demary Jr., Solo Ball, Braylon Mullins, and Alex Karaban. That was the matchup all night: Duke’s freshman-heavy core trying to finish the job against a battle-tested UConn group that had enough veterans and late-game poise to survive the deficit. (University of Connecticut Athletics)

Cameron Boozer did everything he could to drag Duke across the line. His 27-point night continued a historic freshman postseason run, and Goduke noted that he became the fifth freshman in the last 25 years to score at least 20 in both the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. Cayden Boozer’s stat line was strong too, but his late turnover became the play everyone remembered because of what followed. (Duke University)

For UConn, Reed was the constant. While the Huskies misfired badly from deep for most of the night, he kept them alive with interior scoring and physical play around the rim. Demary’s late defensive deflection was every bit as important as Mullins’ shot, and Mullins, despite the rough shooting start, delivered the defining moment of the game. (University of Connecticut Athletics)

What Jon Scheyer said

Afterward, Jon Scheyer sounded stunned. In Duke’s official recap, he said, “I don’t have the words.” Reuters also quoted him more directly on the closing collapse: “We just gave them easy baskets.” Those two lines summed up a loss that felt less about one shot and more about a second half in which Duke slowly lost control. (Duke University)

Why Duke lost

1. Second-half turnovers: Duke had eight turnovers after halftime, and UConn converted Duke’s mistakes into 20 points overall. That erased much of the Blue Devils’ first-half shot-making edge. (University of Connecticut Athletics)
2. UConn’s resilience in the paint: Even while struggling from three, the Huskies kept scoring inside through Reed and pressure plays, finishing with 36 points in the paint. (University of Connecticut Athletics)
3. Late-game execution: Duke led 72-70 with the ball and 10 seconds left, but couldn’t safely get out of the trap. One deflection and one legendary shot later, the season was over. (ESPN.com)

Quick look ahead

There was no next game for Duke. Instead of a trip to the Final Four, the Blue Devils were left with one of the most painful exits in recent program history, while UConn moved on to its third Final Four in four years. Duke finished 35-3, but the final memory of the season was a lead lost and a miracle shot that flipped the bracket. (Reuters)