Men’s March Madness: UConn stun No 1 seed Duke with last-second three-pointer

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Mar 29, 2026 · 564 words · By Guardian staff reporter

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What to know about Men’s March Madness: UConn stun No 1 seed Duke with last-second three-pointer

Braylon Mullins sank a desperation three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to give UConn an astonishing 73-72 victory over top-seeded Duke on Sunday, earning the Huskies a spot in the Final Four after they rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit.

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left25%

Center50%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The Blue Devils led by three with 10 seconds left before UConn’s Silas Demary Jr made one of two free throws to cut the margin to two.

Common ground

With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Mullins made a shot from well behind the three-point line.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Men’s March Madness: UConn stun No 1 seed Duke with last-second three-pointer?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The Blue Devils led by three with 10 seconds left before UConn’s Silas Demary Jr made one of two free throws to cut the margin to two?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/mar/29/ncaa-tournament-elite-eight-scores…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

help Insufficient Evidence 7

verified Verified By Reference 3

schedule Pending 2

verified

Claim 1: “The Blue Devils led by three with 10 seconds left before UConn’s Silas Demary Jr made one of two free throws to cut the margin to two.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries about SEC and Big East conferences do not reference Silas Demary Jr., the 2025–26 season, or the specific free throw event described.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024–25 Southeastern Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October followed by the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which started on November 3, 2024. Conferen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024–25_Southeastern_Conferenc…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 Big East men's basketball season is the current season for Big East Conference basketball teams that began with practices and exhibition games in October 2025, followed by the start of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_Big_East_Conference_me…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 UConn Huskies men's basketball team represents the University of Connecticut in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Huskies are led by eighth-year head coach Dan Hurle…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_UConn_Huskies_men's_ba…

verified

Claim 2: “It’s the second straight season to end in a huge collapse for Duke, who were the top overall seed in this year’s tournament. No 1 seeds were 134-0 when leading by 15 points or more at half-time in the NCAA Tournament; that record now stands at 134-1.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries about past NCAA tournaments do not mention Duke's 2026 record, the 134-1 statistic, or the specific loss to UConn.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the final game of the 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, determining the national champion for the 2014–15 NCAA Division …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_NCAA_Division_I_men's_bas…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is an ongoing event involving 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the NCAA Division I men's college basketball nationa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_NCAA_Division_I_men's_bas…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament involves 68 teams in a single-elimination tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketba…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_NCAA_Division_I_women's_b…

schedule

Claim 3: “Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 21 points on 8-of-22 shooting for Tennessee (25-12), who lost in the Elite Eight for the third straight year under Rick Barnes.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 4: “With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Mullins made a shot from well behind the three-point line.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in live sources or archives to support the specific event described.

help

Claim 5: “Morez Johnson Jr added 12 points for top-seeded Michigan, who posted their 11th victory this season by at least 30 points.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in live sources or archives to support Morez Johnson Jr.'s 2026 tournament participation.

help

Claim 6: “In Sunday’s other game, Yaxel Lendeborg scored 27 points, Elliot Cadeau had 10 assists and Michigan rolled into the Final Four, overwhelming Tennessee for a 95-62 victory.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in live sources or archives to support Michigan's 2026 tournament victory over Tennessee.

help

Claim 7: “UConn missed 18 of their first 19 attempts from three-point range and finished 5 for 23.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in live sources or archives to support UConn's 2025–26 three-point shooting statistics.

schedule

Claim 8: “The 71-year-old coach reached his only Final Four in 2003 with Texas.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 9: “The Blue Devils led by six with 1:14 remaining before falling to Houston in last year’s national semi-finals.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in live sources or archives to support the specific 2023 Duke-Houston game details.

help

Claim 10: “Lendeborg, who was named the region’s Most Outstanding Player, was 10 for 19 from the field. He became the first Michigan player to score at least 23 points in three consecutive NCAA Tournament games since Juwan Howard did it in four straight in 1994.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in live sources or archives to support Yaxel Lendeborg's 2026 tournament statistics.

help

Claim 11: “Making the most of their size and athleticism, Michigan (35-3) advanced to their first Final Four since 2018 and ninth overall.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in live sources or archives to support Michigan's 2026 Final Four appearance.

verified

Claim 12: “Braylon Mullins sank a desperation three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to give UConn an astonishing 73-72 victory over top-seeded Duke on Sunday, earning the Huskies a spot in the Final Four after they rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries only describe UConn's 2025–26 team roster and Braylon Mullins' general collegiate career, with no mention of the specific Duke game, three-pointer, or Final Four berth. No corroborating sources found.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alex Karaban (born November 11, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Karaban

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Braylon Anthony Mullins (born April 18, 2006) is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braylon_Mullins

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.