The
Shot.
0.4 Seconds.
Down 19. One of 19 three-pointers missed. 0.4 seconds left on the clock. Braylon Mullins caught a pass near midcourt, launched from 35 feet, and sent UConn to the Final Four. No. 1 Duke's season ended before they could breathe. This is the story of the shot.
The distance Mullins launched from. Roughly halfway between the 3-point arc and halfcourt.
The Game That Built Toward That One Moment
Duke spent 38 minutes and 28 seconds in control of this game. UConn led for 51 seconds total. The last 0.4 of those seconds were all that mattered.
The No. 1 overall seed came out exactly the way a No. 1 overall seed is supposed to. Duke ran a 14-0 run in the opening minutes, Cameron Boozer posted in the paint, and the Huskies' three-point shooting — the thing that had carried UConn through close games all season — went completely cold. One make in the first 18 attempts from deep. UConn shot 1-of-19 from three in one stretch. The deficit reached 19 in the first half, with Duke leading 44-25.
What Dan Hurley had in the second half was not a three-point offense. What he had was Tarris Reed Jr. grinding in the post, Silas Demary Jr. competing on every possession, and the institutional belief — hammered into every UConn player every day in practice — that a 19-point deficit is not a death sentence in March.
The Huskies chipped. Reed dominated on the interior. Demary made plays. A 7-0 run capped by a Solo Ball and-one got UConn to 67-65. Then Alex Karaban — who had started 1-of-9 from the field, 0-of-5 from three — finally hit one. Duke 70, UConn 69. Cameron Boozer answered with a bucket. Duke 72, UConn 69. Demary hit one of two free throws. Duke 72, UConn 70. Ten seconds left. Duke has the ball. Duke just needs to hold it.
This is the moment that changed everything. Shop the "19 Points No Problem" shirt — the comeback in one line.
Duke 72, UConn 70. 10 Seconds Left. And Then.
Cayden Boozer tried to inbound the ball near midcourt with Duke playing keep-away, trying to run down the clock and force UConn to foul. Demary deflected the pass. The ball went loose. Mullins recovered it.
Mullins found Karaban. Karaban gave it back. Four seconds. No timeout — Hurley had decided, in the moment, that timeouts do nothing here. "It just felt like the window where you've just got to let March Madness take over," Hurley said afterward.
Mullins was standing near midcourt. Roughly 35 feet from the basket. He had missed all four of his three-point attempts to that point. Duke had two players back. The clock showed nothing worth saving. He shot anyway.
His father Josh was in the arena. The second Braylon released it, Josh turned to his wife Katie and said two words: "It's good."
He knew. His shooting partner, UConn associate head coach Kimani Young, knew it too the instant it left Braylon's hand. Young shoots with Mullins every day. He watches him make shots like this in practice regularly. When the ball was in the air, Young already knew.
It went in. UConn 73, Duke 72. Hurley leapt off the sideline and nearly lost his blazer. UConn had won 18 consecutive games in the Sweet 16 or later. This was the wildest one.
"One of the most brilliant shooters you'll ever see shoot a basketball made an incredible, legendary March shot."
— Dan Hurley, UConn head coachThe Final 10 Seconds — What Actually Happened
The sequence moved faster than most people could track watching it live. Here is what happened, in order, from the moment Duke had the ball with 10 seconds left.
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10.0 seconds
Duke 72, UConn 70. Cayden Boozer attempts to inbound the ball near midcourt. Duke is playing keep-away to avoid fouling. If Boozer successfully completes this pass, the game is likely over.
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~7–8 seconds
Demary deflects the pass. Silas Demary Jr. gets a hand on Boozer's inbound pass. The ball goes loose near midcourt. UConn recovers. Duke's eighth turnover in the last 18 minutes — the one that turned a finished game into a live one.
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~4 seconds
Mullins gets the ball. He sees Karaban — who had just hit a three to make it 70-69 moments earlier. Mullins passes to Karaban. Karaban evaluates. He has Cameron Boozer in front of him. Harder shot. He gives it back to Mullins.
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~1–2 seconds
Mullins catches, sets, shoots. He is standing roughly 35 feet from the basket. He has missed all four of his three-point attempts in the game. Duke has two defenders back. There is no time for anything else. He launches what Hurley calls a "Bringer of Rain" shot — high arc, long flight.
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0.4 seconds
Nothing but net. UConn 73, Duke 72. The ball drops through the basket. Duke has 0.4 seconds, no timeouts, from their own end. They cannot do anything with 0.4 seconds. The game is over. The No. 1 overall seed — 35-2 entering that night — is going home.
The Historic Context
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deficit overcome | 19 points — tied for the third-largest comeback in Elite Eight or Final Four history |
| UConn 3-point shooting | 5-of-23 for the game. Made 1 of first 18 attempts. Four of their last five were made. |
| Duke turnovers | 8 turnovers in the final 18 minutes. The last one was fatal. |
| Time Duke led | 38 minutes and 28 seconds. UConn led for 51 seconds total. |
| Mullins from 3 before the shot | 0-for-4. None of them were close. |
| Distance of the shot | 35 feet — approximately halfway between the three-point arc and half court |
| UConn streak | 18 consecutive wins in the Sweet 16 or later. Last loss at that stage: 2009 Final Four, Michigan State. |
The Shot Diagram
BreakingT built a diagram shirt capturing exactly where Mullins was standing when he released the ball, the arc of the shot, and the scoreline. This is the kind of thing that gets framed.
Shop the Shot Diagram ShirtThe diagram shirt captures the geography of the moment — the distance, the trajectory, and the scoreboard — in a format that will still make sense in 20 years when someone asks what happened in D.C. in March 2026.
Three shirts. All NIL-licensed directly with Braylon Mullins. Shop the full UConn collection at BreakingT.
Who Is Braylon Mullins?
Braylon Mullins is a 6-foot-6 freshman guard from Greenfield, Indiana — a suburb of Indianapolis roughly 26 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium, where UConn will play the Final Four on April 4.
Hurley calls him "the Bringer of Rain" — a reference to the high, arcing trajectory of Mullins' jump shot that makes it look like every attempt is falling from the sky. The nickname has been used all season. On Sunday, the rain fell from 35 feet at 0.4 seconds and it washed out Duke's season.
Mullins was the No. 12 overall recruit nationally in the 2025 class and the No. 2 shooting guard. He took official visits to Indiana, Michigan, and North Carolina before ultimately committing to UConn. Dan Hurley and his staff came into his recruitment later than the others. The vision for immediate impact — the chance to play meaningful minutes in a program already winning championships — was what pulled him to Storrs.
The wrinkle: Duke was also recruiting Mullins. Scheyer's staff had him in their top 10. He scheduled an official visit to Durham in October 2024. He cancelled it before it happened. On Sunday night in Washington D.C., he ended Duke's season with a shot from midcourt.
"The Indiana kid sent us to Indianapolis. Like that one? I've been using it a lot lately."
— Alex Karaban, UConn forwardThe Mullins File
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard / Wing |
| Height | 6-foot-6 |
| Class | Freshman (2025–26) |
| Hometown | Greenfield, Indiana — 26 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium |
| Recruiting rank | No. 12 overall nationally (2025 class), No. 2 shooting guard |
| Other official visits | Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina |
| Duke connection | Was in Duke's top-10; cancelled official visit to Durham, Oct. 2024 |
| Hurley's nickname for him | "The Bringer of Rain" |
| Daily practice partner | Associate head coach Kimani Young |
| Stats vs. Duke (before the shot) | 0-for-4 from 3, 8 points |
| Final stats vs. Duke | 10 points, 4-of-10 FG, 1-of-5 from 3 |
What Mullins Said After
"Still at a loss for words. Still processing all of what just happened. I think on that last possession we were trying to foul the worst free-throw shooter, and Silas ended up deflecting the pass. I had the ball, and I knew AK had just hit one. So I threw it with four seconds left, and he just threw it back to me, and I knew I had to put one up."
His father Josh was in the building. The moment Braylon released the shot, Josh told Katie: "It's good." He knew his son's shot. He had seen him make it before, in gyms nobody was watching, on courts without scoreboards.
Shop The Moment
Three shirts built for this moment. All officially licensed through BreakingT's NIL partnership with Braylon Mullins. Designed the night of the shot.
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What the Shot Means for UConn's Dynasty
UConn won national championships in 2023 and 2024. If the Huskies win two more games in Indianapolis, Dan Hurley becomes the first coach since John Wooden to win three national titles in four years.
This is the context that makes Mullins' shot more than just a memorable moment — it is potentially the shot that started a third championship run. UCLA's dynasty under Wooden produced 10 titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975. The modern era has been defined by how impossible that level of sustained excellence is. UConn, since 2023, is the closest thing to it.
Hurley is now 17-3 in the NCAA Tournament at UConn. His teams have lost in the Elite Eight once and the Final Four once since he took over. Both of those losses came in years they did not win the title. In championship years, they are perfect. The Huskies have won 18 consecutive games in the Sweet 16 or later. Their last loss at that stage came in the 2009 Final Four against Michigan State.
The opponent Saturday in Indianapolis is Illinois — the same program UConn eliminated 77-52 in the 2024 Elite Eight on the way to their second straight title. Illinois remembers. Brad Underwood's team is No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency and has legitimate pieces to make this a competitive game. But UConn has been here before. Twice. And both times, they cut the net.
Mullins will play Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium — 26 miles from where he grew up. Shop The Shot 2.0 shirt before the Final Four tips.
What Duke's Loss Actually Means
Duke finished 35-3. Cameron Boozer led all scorers Sunday with 27 points. The Blue Devils won 35 games this season and entered the Elite Eight having never trailed by more than 10 in a tournament game. Against UConn they led by 19. None of it mattered in the last 0.4 seconds.
This is the second straight season Duke's run ended in a massive collapse — they blew a 14-point lead against Houston in the Final Four last year. The Blue Devils have now lost to UConn three consecutive times in the NCAA Tournament. They expected this year to be different. Cameron Boozer was the frontrunner for National Player of the Year. Caleb Foster was managing an injury but available. They were the No. 1 overall seed for a reason.
Jon Scheyer said afterward: "I don't have the words. I don't have the words." That's what Braylon Mullins' shot did to the opposing bench. The same freshman Duke had tried to recruit. The same player who cancelled his visit to Durham. The one who chose Dan Hurley and Storrs instead.
The Shots This One Now Lives Next To
| Shot | Year | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Braylon Mullins, UConn | 2026 | 35 feet, 0.4 seconds, down 19, over Duke in Elite Eight |
| Christian Laettner, Duke | 1992 | Turnaround jumper at the buzzer vs. Kentucky, Elite Eight |
| Kris Jenkins, Villanova | 2016 | 35-footer at the buzzer to win the national championship over North Carolina |
| Lorenzo Charles, NC State | 1983 | Tip-in at buzzer in championship game over Houston |
The shot has already been placed in this company by ESPN's Jeff Borzello, the NCAA, and multiple national reporters covering the tournament.
Braylon Mullins Shot — FAQ
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How far was Braylon Mullins' shot against Duke?Braylon Mullins' shot was 35 feet — approximately halfway between the three-point arc and the half-court line. He released it with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock to give UConn a 73-72 win over No. 1 seed Duke in the Elite Eight on March 29, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.
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How much was UConn down before Braylon Mullins hit the shot?UConn trailed by as many as 19 points, with Duke leading 44-25 late in the first half. Duke led for 38 minutes and 28 seconds of the game total. UConn led for just 51 seconds — the last 0.4 of which were after Mullins' shot. The comeback tied for the third-largest in Elite Eight or later history.
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Was Braylon Mullins shooting well before he hit the shot?No. Mullins was 0-for-4 from three-point range before the game-winner and had been held to 8 points going into that final possession. The Huskies as a team made just 1 of their first 18 three-point attempts before hitting four of their last five in the closing minutes. The fifth was Mullins' game-winner from 35 feet.
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Did Duke recruit Braylon Mullins?Yes. Duke was among Mullins' top-10 schools during his recruitment, and Jon Scheyer's staff scheduled an official visit for October 2024. Mullins cancelled the visit before it happened and ultimately chose UConn. He committed to Dan Hurley and the Huskies based on their vision for immediate impact in a championship program. Less than a year and a half later, he ended Duke's season with a game-winner from 35 feet.
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Where is Braylon Mullins from?Mullins is from Greenfield, Indiana — a suburb of Indianapolis roughly 26 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium, where UConn will play in the Final Four on April 4. Karaban said after the game: "The Indiana kid sent us to Indianapolis." Mullins' parents Josh and Katie were in the building at Capital One Arena. His father knew the shot was good the instant Braylon released it.
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What happened in the final seconds to give UConn the ball?With Duke leading 72-70 and roughly 10 seconds left, Duke was inbounding the ball near midcourt trying to run down the clock. Cayden Boozer's pass was deflected by Silas Demary Jr. — Duke's eighth turnover in the final 18 minutes. UConn recovered the ball. Mullins found Alex Karaban, who had just hit a three to make it 70-69 moments earlier. Karaban gave the ball back to Mullins with four seconds left. Mullins shot from 35 feet with no hesitation.
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What did Dan Hurley say about the shot?Hurley called the shot "incredible" and "legendary" and said Mullins was "one of the most brilliant shooters you'll ever see shoot a basketball." He also said about the decision not to call timeout in the final seconds: "It just felt like the window where you've just got to let March Madness take over. March magic." On the season and the game, Hurley said: "It's been a season where we've been dealt injuries to key players at critical points that we've had to overcome, and we've had to show a lot of fortitude and resilience. I thought the game was a microcosm of that."
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What does Braylon Mullins' nickname "The Bringer of Rain" mean?Hurley gave Mullins the nickname "The Bringer of Rain" as a reference to the high, arcing trajectory of his jump shot — shots that look like they're falling from the sky. The nickname was used throughout the 2025-26 season. On the night of the Elite Eight game, Mullins launched a 35-foot shot with the highest arc of anything he had thrown up all season. It was the most literal version of the nickname possible.
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Where can I buy Braylon Mullins UConn shirts?BreakingT has three NIL-licensed Braylon Mullins shirts: The Shot 2.0, the Madness Shot Diagram, and 19 Points No Problem. All three are officially licensed through BreakingT's NIL partnership with Mullins. The full UConn collection is at breakingt.com/collections/uconn-huskies.
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Is Braylon Mullins' shot the greatest in March Madness history?Multiple national analysts and reporters placed the shot among the greatest in tournament history immediately after it happened. ESPN's Jeff Borzello called it "one of the all-time greatest shots in NCAA tournament history." The NCAA's own coverage listed seven reasons the shot will be remembered permanently. The comparison most frequently made is Christian Laettner's 1992 buzzer-beater against Kentucky in the Elite Eight — also regarded as the greatest shot in tournament history. Whether Mullins' shot surpasses Laettner's depends on the factors you weigh: distance (35 feet vs. mid-range), deficit (down 19 vs. tied), and context (freshman vs. senior). Both are in the same conversation.
Sent Them to Indianapolis.
Three shirts. One shot. NIL-licensed directly with Braylon Mullins. Designed the night it happened. Shop before Saturday's Final Four.
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Game data per AP, NCAA.com, CBS Sports, and The Washington Post, March 29–30, 2026. All Braylon Mullins shirts are NIL-licensed through BreakingT. All UConn gear is officially licensed by the University of Connecticut. © BreakingT