The star of the weekend in college basketball was, without a doubt, Braylon Mullins of the Connecticut Huskies. He hit a game-winning three-pointer from the March Madness logo to defeat the Duke Blue Devils 73-72 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, punching the Huskies’ ticket to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
On Monday, less than 24 hours after the historic shot, Mullins appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show.” Toward the end of the interview, waiting to come on next, was legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who made sure to congratulate Mullins before exiting the Zoom call.
“Congratulations, son. What an amazing moment. And how about your senior leader [Alex] Karaban, having the confidence in you to make a historic pass before the historic shot? Congratulations,” Krzyzewski said.
Kryzyewski was obviously rooting for the Blue Devils who led to five national championships during his 42 seasons as the programs head coach, but ultimately it hard to deny giving respect to Mullins for the shot he made in that moment.
Mullins is a true freshman, and while he’s had a stellar season for UConn, playing a key role in the team’s success, he had struggled from beyond the arc in the NCAA Tournament. He didn’t make a three-pointer in the first round against Furman and had just four total makes heading into Sunday’s game, where he also couldn’t get one to drop.
Yet, in the biggest moment, he didn’t hesitate at all and seemed completely confident that when the ball left his hand, it was going in.
“Man, yeah. You gotta shoot it with confidence,” Mullins said.
UConn is now set to prepare for a Final Four showdown on Saturday night against the Illinois Fighting Illini. The winner of that game will play in the national title against either the Arizona Wildcats or Michigan Wolverines.