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By Cole Sullivan
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In a game where the No. 2 UConn Huskies trailed by 19 against the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, they mounted a furious comeback, slowly clawing their way back into the contest. With the score tied at the literal final second, UConn pulled off a 73-72 victory to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
With 10 seconds remaining, UConn hit a free throw to cut the lead to 72-70. Duke inbounded the ball and began advancing up the court, passing to Cayden Boozer.
However, his attempt to get the ball past half court was tipped and stolen by the Huskies. Instead of forcing a contested shot, senior Alex Karaban found an open — though very deep — Braylon Mullins, who nailed a three-pointer with just 0.4 seconds left on the clock, leaving Duke no time to respond.
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Clearly tuned into the action, St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino tweeted multiple times during the contest, even though his team fell short to Duke in the Sweet 16, losing 80-75 — a team they had beaten two out of three times this season.
After UConn’s comeback win, Pitino posted: "The second half of that UConn vs. Duke game is why college basketball is the best sport."
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Pitino has been on both the winning and losing end of game-winners throughout his storied career, so the final moments likely weren’t a shock for him. However, he seemed to have a rooting interest in the matchup, as his prior post expressed frustration over a no-call on Duke’s Cameron Boozer, who charged into a UConn defender without being called for an offensive foul.
"That’s absurd. How can that not be a charge? Offense has way too much of an advantage," Pitino posted shortly before UConn completed their comeback to win the game and eliminate the Blue Devils.
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