A Blowout Implodes, Uconn surprises Duke

The bout between No. 1 Duke and No. 2 Uconn seemed set in stone with a score of 44-29 favoring Duke at the half. All must remember though, March is for madness. One decision and one shot can change the fate of a game. This tournament's fate was reshaped by Uconn’s Braylon Mullins hands.

Less than five seconds on the clock. Weary legs of Duke players inbound the ball after staving off a Uconn team that barely managed two more points than Duke’s star twin duo of Cam and Cayden Boozer alone in the first half. The score now: Duke 72 and Uconn 70. 

Duke sought to push the ball up the floor. Two defenders rose like a wall to block Cayden Boozer’s outlet. A fateful tip similar to a volleyball block off the hands of Silas Demary Jr graced Mullins with the ball. He passed to his teammate, number 11, who briskly sent the ball back into his hands. Mullins set his feet a mere few steps beyond the half court line. He fired. Duke’s hopes dwindled with the seconds of the clock as the arch soared. 3…2…1…nothing but net and .3 seconds left. 

Uconn could not seem to buy a three, yet Mullins provided the one that would matter. This fateful move clinched Uconn’s spot among the final four. 

First Half

The Boozer brothers exploded on the scene as Duke sought to dismantle UConn for the final spot in the final four. With three minutes remaining, The Boozer boys managed to outscore the Huskies for a possession with 27 points to the latter’s 25. Duke as a whole had twice as many Offensive rebounds with eight, as Uconn had defensive rebounds with four. Four were garnered by Number 12 Cam Boozer himself.

Cam Boozer was a force to be reckoned with in the paint. His court vision proved vital as Uconn routinely doubled him in the post. This flaw was exposed in the first few plays as Cam released a pass to the corner and it was quickly swung across for an easy corner three on the opposite side.

Uconn would present a worthy foe for Boozer in the paint with Number 5 Tarris Reed Jr. His opening presence on offense with powerful dream shakes into soft touch finishes kept Uconn competitive early on. 

Reed Jr and Boozer would each provide a stifling defensive presence. It began as Cam Boozer snuck in for a blind side block to halt an early groove by Reed Jr. On the other end however, as Kenny Smith noted at the half, Uconn’s switch heavy scheme allowed mismatches for Boozer. This paved the way for a heavy disparity in offensive rebounds as well.

Cayden Boozer played in rhythm as he pieced together a pair of threes with smooth close range jumpers. He also displayed stingy defense as he swiped away two steals from the Uconn offense.

The Huskies faced a 21-40 deficit as they went through a five minute drought without a score. A strong block on Cam Boozer resulted in a fast break attempt that would quench this drought at the free throw line. Cayden Boozer would execute an elusive quick drive to respond with a layup through contact.

Duke would close out the half with a 16-point lead.

2nd half

The impact of a more focused Reed Jr began to liven Uconn as a team. His defensive focus being centered directly towards Cam Boozer allowed for Uconn to devote more energy to perimeter defense. This helped to reduce lag in rotations.

Furthermore, Reed Jr’s uptick in offensive usage created reason for Uconn to collapse their defense towards the paint. Uconn still struggled to find a rhythm from beyond the arc despite cleaner looks. The team had gone 1/17 as a little over 12 minutes of play had passed.

The cap finally came off the rim with roughly seven minutes left as Reed Jr forced a double team and kicked the ball to the corner to find Demary Jr. Duke responded with a corner three only for Uconn to zip back to Demary Jr for one more of their own. 

The revived defensive focus of Uconn left Duke trapped in their tracks for three minutes straight without a field goal. Their free throws were few and far between. Uconn’s Solo Ball nabbed a timely steal and secured a tough layup through contact plus the foul to cut the lead to three. He buried the free throw to bring the Huskies within two.

The teams were neck and neck. A Karaban three brought the lead down to one with less than a minute left. A Cam boozer jumper and Demary Jr free throws set the scene as the clock ticked to single seconds. The score was now Duke 72 and Uconn 70. 

The rest would be written into history as Mullins propelled the Uconn Huskies to the final four with a 35-footer. 

The stage is set as the final four pieces have come together. Arizona v Michigan and Uconn v Illinois are poised to excite.