UConn's Braylon Mullins Reveals He Thought Epic GW Shot vs. Duke Was to Tie March Madness Game

UConn freshman Braylon Mullins hit the game-winning triple against Duke that gave the Huskies a 73-72 win and allowed them to advance to the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA tournament on Sunday.

However, he later said on ESPN's SportsCenter (around the 1:07 mark) that he thought his shot was for the tie, not the win:

Mullins also noted that he knew it was better to get a shot up rather than try for a closer shot and potentially risk not getting the shot off in time. He ultimately said it was the "best shot we could've gotten."

As it turns out, it turned out to be the shot that won the game.

Mullins previously discussed the epic shot during a postgame interview on the court.

"I looked up at the clock and it said five seconds, so I tried to get the ball to somebody who had made one in the game and he wanted to throw it back," Mullins said in an interview after the game. "So I saw three seconds, it was the last shot. I'm just happy to see that s--t go in. I'm so happy."

With Duke in possession of the ball and holding a two-point lead late in the second half, Huskies guard Silas Demary Jr. forced a turnover by Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer before Mullins gave UConn the win with a three-pointer.

It was an extremely impressive shot by Mullins, especially considering he missed all four of his three-pointers to open Sunday's contest.

He finished with 10 points and one rebound in 26 minutes on the floor while shooting 4-of-10 from the field and 1-of-5 from behind the arc.

Duke led by as many as 19 points in the game and held a 17-point advantage early in the second half, but the Huskies were still able to come back and punch their ticket to the Final Four for the third time in four years.

Mullins entered his freshman season at UConn with high expectations, as he was a 5-star prospect listed as the No. 4 shooting guard in the 2025 recruiting class (via 247Sports' composite rankings).

His season debut was delayed until Nov. 28 due to an ankle injury, but he still was able to establish himself as a starter when available.

Mullins entered Sunday's action averaging 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 33.2 percent from three-point territory.