From The Sports Desk: Inside a March Miracle

THE The Final Four is now set —Arizona, Michigan, Illinois and…UConn? For 55 minutes yesterday, it looked like the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils were going to pull out an easy win over UConn to advance to the Final Four. Then came one of the greatest comebacks in recent college basketball history.

In today’s newsletter we will break it all down for you. For more March Madness coverage, as always, come visit us at NBC News.

A miracle of March

In the final game of the Elite Eight, Duke seemed poised to pull off a blowout victory over UConn, another ho-hum game in a tournament full of them.

At one point, the Blue Devils led by 19 points. At halftime, they led by 15. With about five minutes remaining, they were still up by 9 points.

But the Huskies continued to chip away until they got within 2 points with 10 seconds remaining. As Duke inbounded the ball, UConn applied pressure all over the court. The ball finally found its way to Cayden Boozerthe Duke freshman guard, who attempted to throw a pass to an open teammate, only for a UConn defender to deflect it for a steal.

The clock was ticking as UConn’s Alex Karaban passed the ball to Braylon Mullinsanother freshman, who hadn’t made a 3-pointer all game. Mullins launched a 35-foot shot and… swish. UConn had taken the lead, with less than a second remaining.

“I’m just happy to see this [expletive] “Come in,” Mullins said moments later in a postgame interview. “Man, I’m so happy.”

When it comes to March Miracles, UConn is by no means an underdog. The Huskies won back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024. But perhaps that experience served the UConn coach well Dan Hurley well, when his team fell behind that badly.

“At halftime,” coach said, “we have to go for the fences,” the UConn center recalled. Tarris Reed Jr. “We have to give it our all.”

Late in the second half, UConn’s 3-point shooting finally started to drop off, which helped its cause. Duke also had this late and costly turnover.

After the steal, UConn had the ball with about five seconds left. Hurley could have called a timeout, diagramming a play. Instead, he let his players take control.

“It’s my instinct,” Hurley said. “It was like you had to let March Madness take over, March Magic.”

How’s it going for magic? Mullins, an Indiana native, made the shot to send the Huskies to the Final Four, which is being held this year in Indianapolis. Sometimes the storybook ending writes itself.

Duke Blues

After the loss, Duke’s freshman phenom Cameron Boozer sat for a press conference, his eyes swollen and watery. It had surely been his last collegiate game. Boozer is expected to enter the NBA draft and be a top pick in June.

“I’m hurting right now,” Boozer said. “We’re all hurting. I wish I could give more for these guys.”

Boozer is the latest in a long line of top prospects who chose to spend their lone college season at Duke, before heading to the NBA. In the last decade alone, the list includes Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, Paolo Banchero, Cooper FlaggAnd Kon Knueppel.

But none of these players won a national title. Now neither does Boozer.

Boozer is hardly to blame, however. A bruising 6-foot-9 forward – and the son of an NBA great Carlos Boozer – he averaged around 23 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists per game this season. In the UConn game, he scored a game-high 27 points.

In a cruel twist of fate, Cameron had to look at his twin, Cayden Boozermade the turnover that sealed the fate of the Blue Devils. If Cayden had simply held onto the ball and fouled the UConn defender, Duke likely could have iced the game at the free throw line.

“Yeah, we just need to secure it, right?” Coach Duke Jon Scheyer said. “We just have to hold on.”

But Scheyer emphasized that the loss, letting the lead slip away, was about more than just one play.

“There’s not a person in this room, myself included, who isn’t replaying everything you can do and how you can help,” he said. “At the end of the day, we have to end this.”

What we read

If the UConn men’s and women’s teams play in their respective national championship games, that could mean free furniture for fans.

Italy needs a victory tomorrow to participate in the World Cup. How did the old football powerhouse get here?

The NFL is moving forward with hiring replacement referees, sources told The Associated Press.

Mets fans are already booing the offseason signing Bo Bichette.

An MLB umpire had six pitches thrown out in a single game, including consecutive third strikes.

Ilia Malinin rebound performance is a new departure for the Quadgod.

Tottenham Hotspur fired their manager again this weekend. Who is next?

What we watch

Tonight we have the last two matches of the Elite Eight, for the women. No. 1 seeds UConn and UCLA have already qualified for the Final Four. Can fellow top seeds South Carolina and Texas make it there, too? Plus, some fun NBA games on Peacock. Anytime Victor Wembanyama National television broadcasts are viewed by appointment.

All times are indicated in the East:

• 7 p.m.: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 Michigan, on ESPN
• 7 p.m.: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat, on Peacock
• 8 p.m.: Chicago Bulls vs. San Antonio Spurs, on Peacock
• 9:00 p.m.: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 3 TCU, on ESPN

That’s all for now! We will come back tomorrow.