A single shot, a 19-point rally, and a jaw-dropping upset of a top seed—that’s what made Sunday’s UConn vs. Duke showdown feel like a classic March Madness legend. There have been plenty of upsets this month, but the No. 2-seeded UConn Huskies’ 73-72 win over the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils stands out as the most dramatic one yet. Freshman Braylon Mullins etched his name in NCAA folklore with a scintillating 35-footer that capped an incredible 19-point comeback.

Mullins didn’t just hit the game-winner out of nowhere. He stepped up in a big way throughout the second half as part of UConn’s furious rally. The youngster earned rave reviews for his ice-cold finish in the dying seconds. Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson was among the first to congratulate the Mullins, comparing his heroics to those of a certain Golden State Warriors legend.

“UConn’s victory over Duke in the NCAA Tournament was a classic! UConn came back from a 19-point deficit to win the game 73-72 thanks to Braylon Mullins’s 3-point shot at the buzzer…it reminded me of Steph Curry – so clutch!” Johnson tweeted.

Mullins finished the game with 10 points (including that huge final three), along with 4 rebounds in 26 minutes of action. He wasn’t the leading scorer. Tarris Reed Jr. dropped 26, but his clutch plays during the comeback helped turn a big deficit into a thrilling victory.

And get this: Mullins later admitted he actually thought his shot was just to tie the game. After the win, he simply said he was glad that “sh– went in.” The comeback started in the first half when Duke built a 19-point lead, but UConn chipped away steadily in the second half, forcing turnovers and hitting timely shots until that final chaotic sequence.

With just seconds left and Duke up by three, Silas Demary Jr. made one of two free throws. Then Duke tried to run out the clock, but a pass near midcourt got deflected. Mullins grabbed the loose ball and launched the deep three from 35 feet with 0.4 seconds remaining. Swish. Game over.

That kind of drama naturally got people talking about Stephen Curry, who has had a few clutch moments of his own during his long NBA career. The GSW vet also had a similar 35-foot stunner vs. the Brooklyn Nets in March 2025. That buzzer-beater proved to be a driving force and shifted the tone of their season.

Sunday’s win means that Huskies coach Dan Hurley will be making his his third appearance in the Final Four over eight seasons, a truly remarkable record for one of the best basketball coaches in America.

Stephen Curry and ‘Game Winners’ – A match made in heaven

Speaking of Curry, he’s practically the king of those deep, heart-stopping moments. He’s perfected the art of turning desperation into destiny with a flick of the wrist and ice in his veins.

From logo-range step-backs to half-court heaves, his clutch shooting has produced nine game-winning field goals (with five seconds or less remaining) since he entered the league in 2009, among the most by any active player.

That includes several iconic buzzer-beating-style daggers, even if true last-second buzzer-beaters (where the clock hits zero right as the ball leaves his hand) are rarer for him than the highlight reels might suggest.

Dubs fans will remember Curry’s iconic logo step-back three in 118-121 OT win over Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder with 0.6s on the clock. That’s probably his most iconic game winner. considering Mike Breen’s epic “Bang! Bang” call on the play cemented the moment in NBA folklore.

Years later, when quizzed about it, Breen’s response was “That was an out-of-body experience. I can’t explain that. It just happened. Because that was the year that everything was falling into place for them. It was that magical run. He was as good as anyone has ever played from long distance …they had this amazing winning streak, and it was (seemingly) all over. And then he comes down and does that at the end. So, I kind of lost it on that. That was so memorable because of all the circumstances surrounding the game.”

The Dubs faithful will also remember Curry’s iconic moment vs. the LA Clippers in 2019. The seasoned point guard was having himself a game in December 2018, hitting a go-ahead layup with seconds left on the clock. He ultimately finished with 42 points as GSW won 127-129 in what was a tightly-contested affair.

Steph is living proof that true legends don’t just play the final seconds—they own them.

As fans draw parallels between Curry’s iconic daggers and Mullins’ latest buzzer-beater, it’s clear why his career catalog of heroics stands as the gold standard for what it means to deliver when everything’s on the line.