The last game of the elite eight featured an epic showdown between the #1 seeded Duke Blue Devils and the #2 seeded UConn Huskies in Washington, D.C. in Capital One Arena. The winner of this game headed to the last slot in the final four, in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The opening half indicated signs of a blowout as Duke held a 15-point advantage over UConn. UConn shot an atrocious clip from the 3-point line for the majority of the game, shooting 1-18 to start the game. The only player that got going for UConn was the senior center, Tarris Reed Jr, who finished in double figures in points within the first half and finished the game with 26 points and 9 rebounds. For Duke, brothers Cameron Boozer and Cayden Boozer led the way for Duke. At one point, in the first half, the brothers were outsourcing the entire UConn roster 27-25. UConn’s inability to make outside shots and get stops on the other end led them into an insurmountable hole at halftime. How big of a hole, you ask? The number one seed, with a 15-point lead at halftime in March Madness, was 134-0 up until this point.
In the second half, UConn was able to string together numerous defensive stops, convert more efficiently on offense, and feed off of the rumbling UConn crowd to chip away at Duke’s 15-point lead. Nevertheless, even as UConn gathered momentum, Cameron Boozer and Duke continued to make tough bucket after tough bucket to keep the game out of reach. On the other side, UConn continued to be ice cold from three, not able to make big shots in order to make it a one-possession game. It was not until the closing minutes of the game that UConn caught fire, going 4-5 from 3-point land, with makes from junior point guard Silas Demary (2), senior forward Alex Karaban (1), and freshman guard Braylon Mullins (1).
Despite UConn’s late run, Duke still held the advantage, just needing free throws and defense to win the game with a five-point lead with 1:46 seconds remaining in regulation. In that stretch, firstly, Duke big man Patrick Ngongba went 1-2 from the FT line in crunch time. Secondly, Cameron Boozer made a costly turnover with roughly a minute remaining, leading to Alex Karaban’s first and biggest three of the game, which made it a one-point game, 70-69, Duke up one.
The next play, Cameron Boozer converted a tough layup in traffic to make it 72-69, Duke up 3 with roughly 20 seconds remaining. After UConn called a timeout to draw up a play, Cameron Boozer fouled Silas Demary, which sent him to the line for two free throws. He went 1-2 at the FT line, 72-70, Duke up 2. Off the Duke baseline inbounds, UConn looked to trap and scramble to force a turnover. With five seconds remaining, Malachi Smith and Mullins trapped Cayden Boozer at center court, leading to a deflection by Smith and a steal by Mullins. Suddenly, Mullins dished it to Karaban in stride, who had just hit a three-pointer. Karaban quickly surveyed and dished it right back to him. Mullins heaved from 35 feet out as the clock neared zero… BALL GAME. It was only right that a kid from Greenfield, Indiana, made the game-winning shot to punch UConn’s ticket into the final four in Indianapolis.
“March Means Drama!”: The Beauty of “Laying Out”
Games are only as good as those who call them. A crew consisting of talented play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle, retired player/color commentator Grant Hill, and veteran analyst Bill Raftery executed a beautiful call amidst the pandemonium that erupted after Braylon Mullins historic game-winning shot. Firstly, Ian Eagle delivered an all-time call, “ Karaban 2 seconds, Mullins tosses it up, OOOOOOOOO! It’s good! With .3! UConn goes in front!” This was followed by Bill Raftery adding, “Uttery Impossible!” and Eagle delivering his new signature line, “MARCH MEANS DRAMA!” In the video clip of the three commentators reacting to the play, it appears that Grant Hill and Bill Raftery were stunned beyond words, explaining why they were dead silent after Mullin’s shot. As a matter of fact, they were “laying out” in order for Eagle to deliver his iconic call. Laying out is the act of remaining silent during a sports broadcasting call in order for the play-by-play commentator to deliver his call. Despite the obvious innate reaction to immediately comment on the play, Raftery and Hill perfected laying out during the aftermath of the shot. In this way, Eagle allowed the audience to experience the reaction of the crowd, players, coaches, and benches during the moment without the three commentators overlapping each other. Their chemistry in the booth gave millions watching an unforgettable March Madness moment to remember for years to come.
