UConn coach Dan Hurley on thrilling last-second win vs. Duke

UConn caput manager Dan Hurley said "that's what March Madness is each about" aft Braylon Mullins made a last-second 3-pointer to implicit the Huskies' comeback against Duke and punch their summons to the Final Four.

"I knew it was a heavy shot. I didn't recognize however acold distant helium was until – until I watched the replay of it, but it was benignant of tracking successful line," Hurley said successful an interrogation with "CBS Mornings" connected Monday. "Braylon is specified a peculiar shooter."

Braylon Mullins #24 of the UConn Huskies celebrates aft shooting the game-winning three-point handbasket during the 2nd fractional of a crippled against the Duke Blue Devils successful the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament astatine Capital One Arena connected March 29, 2026, successful Washington, D.C. Emilee Chinn / Getty Images

At 1 constituent during the archetypal fractional of the crippled connected Sunday, Duke was up of UConn by 19 points. The top-seeded Blue Devils led by 15 astatine the half, but Hurley said contempt the shortage for UConn, "it wasn't an eerie locker room" astatine halftime.

"The locker country was … lively, you know, determination was immoderate frustration," helium said. "There was a batch of belief, and, you know, the team's been done a batch this year. It's been done a batch of injuries. We person had a batch of adjacent games and we truly … leaned connected our resiliency and fortitude, and our habits of mentation and however hard we practiced."

A walk by Duke deflected by UConn's Silas Demary Jr. led to Mullins' game-winning shot.

 "It was the cleanable concern wherever helium got the shot successful bushed from a region that was, like, close astatine the borderline of his scope arsenic a shooter and helium had nary clip to deliberation astir it," Hurley said of Mullins. "He was capable to conscionable fto it go."

With Sunday's victory, UConn joins  Illinois, Arizona and Michigan successful the Final Four – making its 3rd Final Four quality successful the past 4 seasons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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• March Madness
• UConn