19-Year-Old UConn Hero Braylon Mullins 'Can't Even Explain' How His Game-Winning Shot to Beat Duke Went in
Mullins said he's "still full of emotions" after the Huskies' win
Braylon Mullins #24 of the UConn Huskies during the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on March 29, 2026 in Washington, DC ; Josh and Katie Mullins. Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty ; CBS Sports/X NEED TO KNOW UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins said he "can't even explain" his game-winning three pointer over Duke in the final seconds of their March Madness win Mullins told the Today show hosts he's "still full of emotions" after the Huskies' epic comeback The Huskies will next face the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Final Four in Indiana, where Mullins is from UConn guard Braylon Mullins surprised even himself with his game-winning shot over Duke in the NCAA March Madness Tournament. The 19-year-old Huskies freshman sat down for an interview on the Today show on Monday, March 30 — just a few hours after his heroic three-pointer gave UConn the one-point win over Duke in the Elite 8 round — and he revealed what he was thinking when the ball left his hands.
Mullins told the Today hosts he's "still full of emotions" after the game. "I can't even explain it myself," he admitted, adding, "It's crazy that that all happened yesterday. " Braylon Mullins on March 29, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Mullins recounted the final moments of the game, when his team was down two points with just seconds left to go. "When we were on the defensive side of the ball, we tried to get a stop, tried to foul the worst free throw shooter on the floor, and they ended up turning the ball over," he recalled. "I wanted to get the ball to Alex [Karaban], he had just hit a shot I think a minute before that, and he ended up throwing the ball back to me," Mullins said.
"I knew there was like 0. 4 seconds left on the clock, so I thought that was the best opportunity we were gonna get," he said. The freshman basketball player, who is originally from Indiana, where the Final Four round will be played, noted that the game-winning shot was the only three-pointer he was able to make after missing "easy ones" earlier in the game.