You know where we’re starting with this one.
(2) UConn 73, (1) Duke 72 (East)
This might be the widest margin we’ve ever had between the “best game” and the rest of the field in one of these recaps.
For about 34 minutes, it felt like Duke-UConn was merely going to be the last in a line of four regional final games that gave us nothing other than favorites advancing to the Final Four via commanding double-digit victories.
Duke, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, led by 15 points at halftime and by as many as 19 points before Dan Hurley’s team began a comeback for the ages. Tarris Reed almost single-handedly kept the Huskies within shouting distance by out-dueling likely national Player of the Year Cameron Boozer in the post. Then, after the team had misfired on 16 of its first 17 three-point attempts, Silas Demary finally got a couple of outside shots to drop to trim the lead to single digits.
As the game approached its final minute, it still felt destined for an “at least UConn made it somewhat interesting” type finish. Then, a Cameron Boozer turnover in the lane allowed the Huskies’ Alex Karaban to hit another triple on the other end to cut the lead to one Boozer came back and made a tough left-handed shot in the lane to put Duke back up 72-69. After Demary managed to make just one of two free-throws with 10 seconds to play, the stage was set for a moment that will be replayed every March from now until eternity.
After seeming like they may have wasted too much time before electing to foul, UConn deflected an ill-advised one-handed pass attempt by Duke’s Cayden Boozer. The ball ended up in the hands of Braylon Mullins, who quickly got it to clutch senior Alex Karaban, who then somewhat surprisingly flipped the ball back to Mullins.
Mullins, a freshman who was 10 of his last 58 (17.2 percent) from three, did not hesitate and did not miss shot at becoming a March Madness immortal.
Still this close to the moment, it’s impossible to be able to answer questions like “where does this rank on the list of all-time greatest March Madness shots” with any degree of accuracy. But the fact that Mullins’ moment is somewhere “up there” on the list is beyond debate.
On the other side of the emotional pendulum was Duke, which saw a terrific shot at a sixth national championship come to an end after a mind-boggling collapse for a second straight season.
That’s a tough pill to swallow, even if blowing seemingly impossible to blow leads had become one of the few weaknesses of Jon Scheyer’s 2025-26 bunch.
This one was a different level though. How different? Before Sunday evening, No. 1 seeds leading by 15 points or more at halftime were 134-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament games. They are now 134-1.
If that wasn’t enough, the 19-point comeback was the second biggest ever in an Elite Eight game, trailing only a 20-point comeback by Louisville against West Virginia in 2005. That game ended in overtime. This one did not.
Let’s see it again, this time with the Duke radio call.
Duke led for 38 minutes and 48 seconds of a 40-minute basketball game. Now, for a second straight year, they’ve got 12 months to think about how it could have possibly slipped away before they get another shot at redemption.
The 1999 national championship game, the 2004 Final Four, and now the 2026 East Regional final: No one knows how to stick a knife in the heart of an absurdly good Duke team quite like the UConn Huskies do.
No team has spent more time occupying this spot over the last two weeks than Michigan.
The Wolverines cruised to their first Final Four trip since 2018 with a 95-62 throttling of Tennessee that was every bit as one-sided as the final score suggests.
After a back-and-forth opening nine minutes, Michigan erupted for 21 unanswered points over a five-minute stretch. Six different Wolverines scored during the run, with First Team All-American Yaxel Lendeborg leading the charge with eight points. A two-point Tennessee advantage was suddenly a 19-point Michigan lead, and the rout was on after that.
The 33-point margin of victory was the largest in a regional final since another Michigan team pasted Virginia by 37 back in 1989. That Wolverine team just so happened to go on to become the first (and still only) one in school history to win a national championship. They might have some company in a little over a week.
Michigan will head to Indianapolis after imposing their will on each of their first four opponents in the Big Dance. They’ve won those four games by a total of 90 points after out-rebounding those four opponents by 41 and out-blocking them by 29.
Now comes the ultimate bully bull matchup against Arizona on Saturday night.
It feels wrong not to put Duke in this spot, but we’ve already sort of laid out all the elements of the Blue Devils’ collapse. so let’s throw some minor shade at someone else.
Whoever served as Duke’s replacement was guaranteed to have some qualms about it, but I think the case for Purdue is stronger than the other two candidates.
Arizona is a freight train right now, everyone understands that. The issue isn’t necessarily that the Boilermakers lost by 15, it’s that they lost by 15 after leading by seven at the break.
After playing perhaps its best half of the season, Purdue immediately let Arizona go on a 16-3 run and was ultimately outscored by 22 in the second frame. The preseason No. 1 team in the country shot just 38 percent from the field, and was held to its second-lowest point total of the season, as the Wildcats punked yet another quality opponent on their way to the national semifinals.
There’s no shame in losing to Arizona with the way the Wildcats have been playing. There’s at least some shame in getting absolutely manhandled by Arizona after looking like the superior team for the game’s first 20 minutes.
You can’t give me enough different angles or reaction videos of this.
The absolute best sporting event in the world and there isn’t a close second.
The only thing better than taking a team to a Final Four? Taking a team with your son on it to the Final Four.
The only thing better than taking a team with your son on it to the Final Four? Taking a team with your son on it to the Final Four after a regional final game where he splashes a three in the closing seconds.
3. The Illinois and Arizona fan celebrations
Two rabid fan bases (Arizona and Illinois) celebrating their first trips to the Final Four since the early 2000s — 2001 for ‘Zona and 2005 for Illinois — has been one of the best things about this month.
Having your unwavering support finally rewarded for what feels like the first time in forever is one of the best gifts March has to offer.
Props to the fans who suffered through the tournament heartbreaks and the really down years without ever blinking.
1. The buzzer malfunction in Illinois-Iowa
With 7:43 remaining in the first half of Saturday’s South Regional final between Illinois and Iowa, the scoreboard horn malfunctioned and remained on for seven minutes, leading to an 11-minute delay in the game.
Kevin Harlan and the crowd inside the Toyota Center seemed to be equally perplexed and annoyed.
A handheld horn hilariously took the place of the standard system.
Following the game, NCAA senior vice president Dan Gavitt released a statement about the malfunction.
The storylines in March never disappoint. Even the bizarre ones.
2. The West Coast/Big Ten streaks of futility
With Duke now out of the tournament, the lengthy streaks of no national champions from either the West Coast or the Big Ten are now both on life support.
As has been noted thousands of times over the years, no team from the western half of the United States has won it all since Arizona upset Kentucky in 1997, and no Big Ten team has cut down the nets since 2000.
Those two streaks will now (potentially in the case of Arizona) square off against the final boss: UConn’s run of 18 consecutive wins in games after the second round of the tournament.
A year after putting together arguably the best overall performance a conference has given in a college basketball season, SEC fans were adamant that the league, while down slightly from its glorious 2024-25 campaign, was still the best the sport had to offer.
The Big Ten has made that notion look silly over the past couple of weeks.
The Big Ten has also equaled what the SEC did a season ago by sending multiple teams to the Final Four. Now it will look to duplicate or exceed the SEC’s 2-1 record from the final weekend of the 2025 tournament.
BONUS JEER: David Mirkovic not understanding how net cutting works
Could have definitely gone in the cheers section as well, because this was hilarious.
Mirkovic confirmed on Sunday that he was trying to rip the net from the rim with his bare hands.
“I tried,” Mirkovic said. ”I didn’t know. I thought I was stronger.“
One of the best stories of the 2025-26 college basketball season saved one of his best performances of the year for Illinois’ biggest game. At least so far. Wagler scored 25 points in 38 minutes as Illinois secured its first trip to the Final Four since 2005.
The freshman phenom took control in the second half against Purdue, finishing with a game-high 20 points as well as seven rebounds and three assists.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
The Midwest Region’s Most Outstanding Player dazzled once again, finishing with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in Michigan’s beatdown of Tennessee.
The likely national Player of the Year ended his one season in college with a valiant performance, scoring 27 points, grabbing eight rebounds, handing out four assists and blocking a pair of shots.
Braylon Mullins got all the glory, but it was Reed who kept UConn within shouting distance when Duke was firing on all cylinders. The senior big man finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals.
Not a strong crop here, but that’s ok. It’s been a good tournament for dunks.
1. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
3 Best Elite Eight images
3 Notable Elite Eight quotes
1. “Could not be more disappointed for our guys. Just trying to process what happened. I don’t have the words. I don’t have the words.” —Duke head coach Jon Scheyer
2. “The sun may be shining on this team and me coaching it right now. When it’s shining on you, you have to fight like hell to protect it and build it. That’s what I feel like my number one responsibility is. For those who came before me and for those who are going to follow after me. Arizona’s going to have another good coach after me, I promise you. The place is special.” —Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd
3. “I looked up at the clock and it’s saying 5 seconds. So I tried to get the ball to somebody who had made one in the game. He wanted to throw it back. I saw 3 seconds. It was the last shot. Just happy to see that shit go in.” —UConn freshman Braylon Mullins on his game-winner
This has a chance to be an all-timer. See you on Saturday.
