10 Photos of Braylon Mullins Fans Are Talking About – UConn Star's Buzzer-Beater Sends Huskies to 3rd Final Four

UConn freshman Braylon Mullins went from ice-cold to legendary in 0.4 seconds on Sunday night, burying a 35-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to cap a 19-point comeback and stun No. 1 overall seed Duke 73-72 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament Elite Eight at Capital One Arena.

The 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Greenfield, Indiana, had missed all four of his previous three-point attempts on Sunday. None of it mattered when the ball left his hands with the game on the line.

Photo 1: Mullins releases the 35-foot three-pointer that gave UConn its first lead since the opening minute of the game.

With 10 seconds left and UConn trailing 72-70, Silas Demary Jr hit one of two free throws to cut the deficit to two. Duke only needed to inbound the ball and run out the clock.

How the Final Play Unfolded

Cayden Boozer received the inbound pass near half court, but Demary deflected his attempted pass into the frontcourt. Mullins scooped the loose ball, fired it to Alex Karaban on the right wing, and Karaban sent it right back. With fewer than three seconds left, Mullins rose and fired from near the midcourt logo.

'I threw the ball to [Karaban], and I thought he was going to shoot the shot,' Mullins said after the game. 'But then he threw it back to me, there's two or three seconds left, and I've got to shoot it. And man, it just went right through the net.'

Photo 2: Mullins celebrates with arms raised after the game-winning shot drops through the net at Capital One Arena.

Hurley chose not to call a timeout. 'It just felt like the window where you've just got to let March Madness take over,' he said. 'March magic.'

Photo 3: Hurley embraces Mullins on the court seconds after the buzzer-beater sealed the win.

A Record Book Rewritten

No. 1 seeds had been 134-0 when leading by 15 or more points at halftime. Duke had been 27-0 in the tournament in the same situation. Both streaks ended in a single shot.

UConn trailed 44-29 at halftime. Tarris Reed Jr kept the Huskies alive with 26 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. Cam Boozer led Duke with 27 points and eight rebounds, but his twin brother Cayden's late turnover gifted UConn its chance.

Photo 4: Mullins celebrates with Malachi Smith after the game-winning three against Duke.

For Duke (35-3), it marks a second consecutive tournament exit defined by a late-game collapse. The Blue Devils blew a lead against Houston in last year's Final Four. Head coach Jon Scheyer could only say after Sunday's loss, 'I don't have the words.'

Photo 5: Mullins pumps his fist during the second half of UConn's 19-point comeback at Capital One Arena.

The Indiana Kid Heads Home

Mullins grew up just 26 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where UConn will face No. 3 Illinois in Saturday's Final Four on 4 April. A five-star recruit, 2025 McDonald's All-American, and Indiana's Mr Basketball, he chose UConn over offers from Indiana, North Carolina, and even Duke.

'They got into my recruitment kind of late, so I kind of had my field already set,' Mullins said this week about Duke's interest.

'The Indiana kid sent us to Indianapolis,' Karaban said with a grin in the postgame press conference.

Photo 6: Mullins cuts down the net after UConn's Elite Eight victory over Duke, a tradition reserved for winners on college basketball's biggest stage.

Photo 7: Mullins handles the ball against Michigan State in the Sweet 16 at Capital One Arena on 27 March, two days before his buzzer-beater turned him into a household name.

What Comes Next for UConn

The Huskies (33-5) are chasing their third national title in four years after winning back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024. No programme has won three in four seasons since UCLA in the 1970s. Mullins, who averages 12.0 points this season, has already cemented his place in UConn lore.

Photo 8: Mullins takes a three-point attempt during UConn's second-round win over UCLA at Xfinity Center in Philadelphia on 22 March, part of the tournament run that has propelled the Huskies to Indianapolis.

Photo 9: Mullins' Instagram following has surged past 23,000 as fans flock to the freshman's page after his buzzer-beater made national headlines.

Photo 10: Before becoming a March Madness legend, Mullins scored a career-high 52 points on Senior Night at Greenfield-Central and was named Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 2025.

Hurley described Mullins as a 'rare human being' and pointed to something bigger. 'It's the UConn culture, it's the UConn heart,' he told CBS. 'It's what Geno [Auriemma] built and what coach [Jim] Calhoun built. We just believe we're supposed to win this time of year.'

'It's still a loss of words, still processing what just happened,' Mullins said in his postgame press conference. For now, one thing isn't in doubt. The Indiana kid is going home to Indianapolis, and he's taking UConn with him.