From The Sports Desk: Inside A March Miracle

3 days ago

The Final Four is now set — Arizona, Michigan, Illinois and … UConn? For 55 minutes yesterday, it looked arsenic if nan Duke Blue Devils, nan apical wide seed, would cruise to an easy triumph complete UConn to make nan Final Four. Then came 1 of nan top comebacks successful caller assemblage hoops history.

In today’s newsletter, we’ll break it each down for you. For much March Madness coverage, arsenic always, travel sojourn america astatine NBC News.

A March Miracle

Braylon Mullins #24 celebrates pinch Jayden Ross #23 and Malachi Smith #0 of nan UConn Huskies connected nan hoops court

In nan last crippled of nan Elite Eight, Duke seemed connected its measurement to a blowout triumph complete UConn, different ho-hum crippled successful a tourney afloat of them.

At 1 point, nan Blue Devils were starring by 19 points. At halftime, they were up by 15. With astir 5 minutes remaining, they still had a 9-point lead.

But nan Huskies kept chipping distant until they had pulled wrong 2 points pinch 10 seconds left. As Duke inbounded nan ball, UConn had a full-court property on. The shot yet recovered its measurement to Cayden Boozer, Duke’s freshman guard, who tried to lob a walk to an unfastened teammate, only to person a UConn defender deflect it for a steal.

The timepiece was ticking arsenic UConn’s Alex Karaban passed nan shot to Braylon Mullins, different freshman, who hadn’t made a 3-pointer each game. Mullins launched a changeable from 35 feet and … swish. UConn had taken nan lead, pinch little than a 2nd remaining.

“Just happy to spot that [expletive] spell in,” Mullins said moments later, successful a postgame interview. “Man, I’m truthful happy.”

As acold arsenic March Miracles go, UConn is not an underdog by immoderate means. The Huskies won back-to-back nationalist titles successful 2023 and 2024. But possibly that acquisition served UConn coach Dan Hurley well, erstwhile his squad fell down by specified a ample margin.

“At halftime, coach said, we’ve sewage to plaything for nan fences,” recalled UConn halfway Tarris Reed Jr. “We’ve sewage to springiness it each we’ve got.”

Late successful nan 2nd half, UConn’s 3-pointers yet started to drop, which helped its cause. Duke besides made that late, costly turnover.

After nan steal, UConn had nan shot pinch astir 5 seconds remaining. Hurley could’ve called a timeout, diagrammed a play. Instead, he fto his players return control.

“It’s gut instinct,” Hurley said. “It conscionable felt for illustration nan model wherever you’ve conscionable sewage to fto March Madness return over, March Magic.”

How’s this for magic? Mullins, an Indiana native, deed nan changeable to nonstop nan Huskies to nan Final Four, which is being held this twelvemonth successful Indianapolis. Sometimes, nan storybook ending writes itself.

Duke Blues

Cameron Boozer looks down solemnly and walks connected nan hoops court

After nan loss, Duke’s freshman phenom Cameron Boozer sat for a property conference, his eyes looking puffy and wet. This surely had been his last collegiate game. Boozer is expected to participate nan NBA Draft and beryllium a apical prime travel June.

“I’m hurting correct now,” Boozer said. “We’re each hurting. I wish I could person gave much for those guys.”

Boozer is nan latest successful a agelong statement of apical prospects who chose to walk their 1 assemblage play astatine Duke, earlier heading to nan NBA. In nan past decade alone, nan database includes Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, Paolo Banchero, Cooper Flagg, and Kon Knueppel.

But nary of those players won a nationalist title. Now Boozer hasn’t, either.

Boozer is hardly to blame, though. A bruising, 6-foot-9 guardant — and nan boy of NBA awesome Carlos Boozer — he averaged astir 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists per crippled this season. In nan UConn game, he scored a game-high 27 points.

In a sadistic twist of fate, Cameron had to watch arsenic his twin, Cayden Boozer, made nan turnover that sealed nan Blue Devils’ fate. If Cayden had conscionable held onto nan ball, and taken a foul from nan UConn defender, Duke apt could’ve iced nan crippled astatine nan free-throw line.

“Yeah, we conscionable person to unafraid it, right?” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “We’ve conscionable sewage to clasp on.”

But Scheyer emphasized nan loss, letting nan lead gaffe away, didn’t travel down to 1 play.

“There’s not a personification successful this room, including me, that doesn’t replay everything that you could do and really you tin help,” he said. “End of nan day, we’ve sewage to decorativeness it off.”

What We're Reading

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Italy needs a triumph tomorrow to make nan World Cup. How did nan erstwhile shot powerhouse get here?

The NFL is moving up pinch hiring replacement refs, sources told The Associated Press.

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One MLB umpire had six pitches overturned in 1 game, including consecutive called third-strikes.

Ilia Malinin’s bounce-back capacity is a caller commencement for nan Quadgod.

Tottenham Hotspur fired its coach, again, complete nan weekend. Who’s next?

What We're Watching

Tonight, we person nan past 2 games of nan Elite Eight, successful nan women’s bracket. No. 1 seeds UConn and UCLA person already precocious to nan Final Four. Can chap top-seeded South Carolina and Texas get there, too? Plus, a mates of nosy NBA matchups on Peacock. Anytime Victor Wembanyama plays connected nationalist TV is assignment viewing.

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