Takeways: The Greatest UConn–Duke Game Ever

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley hoists the east regional trophy after defeating the Duke Blue Devils in an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images Maybe Ed Cooley was right, UConn fans are spoiled. We’ve seen back-to-back championships during a challenging new era for roster construction with NIL and the portal, and despite making less money than all of the P4 schools.

On Sunday night, Tarris Reed Jr. ’s excellence kept them in the game, and then every starter and rotation player contributed something, whether it was a timely three, a big steal, or diving for a loose ball, to the comeback victory effort. The play that led to Mullins’ three is one of the most improbable in all of basketball, let alone the NCAA Tournament.

Down two with 10 seconds left, UConn was looking to foul, hope that Duke missed a free throw, and get a chance at a three with a few seconds left. At least that last part ended up happening. Mullins’ three rang through and with it a lifetime core memory for UConn fans of any age.

For those who saw the Laettner shot in 1990, or the George Mason loss in that same building in 2006, surely this felt like redemption. Our takeaways: Best UConn-Duke Game Ever Earvin Adjei: In the history of the men’s NCAA Tournament, #1 seeds were 134-0 when leading by 15 or more points at halftime. That record became 134-1 last night when the UConn Huskies’ men’s basketball team erased a 19-point deficit, culminating in a game-winning three-pointer by Braylon Mullins that stunned the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight.