Duke's Heartbreaking Loss to UConn

0:00It's March 30th, welcome in. This is Durham News Today, where local news meets AI, I'm Corey with the story. Duke fell just short of the final 4-1 heartbreaker, losing 73-72 to Yukon in the East Regional Final on March 29th, 2026 at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Blue Devils, the top overall seed with a 35-3 record, watched their season end on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Yukon's. Braylon Mullins with just 0.4 seconds left, Duke built a 19-point lead in the first half and held 15 at the break, but Yukon chipped away in the second, scoring 20 points off. 13 Duke turnovers, 8 coming after half-time. With Duke up by 2 and 6 seconds on the clock, freshman point guard Caden Booser tried to pass to an open teammate, but Yukon silenced a marry-tipped. It away, setting up Mullins' half-core miracle. Caden Booser owned the costly turnover, saying he should have been stronger with the ball, and takes full blame for ending the season.

1:01Coach John Shire called it tough for his guys, praising their fight while owning the collapse together. Team-made Dame Tsar shut down the self-blame, insisting Booser lifted the team all post-season after stepping up for an injured starter. This marks the second straight year Duke, as the number one seed suffered a brutal loss after coughing up a big lead, last year a 14-point edge. At the final 40 Houston, they're the first top seed ever to drop a game after leading by 15 or more at half-time. That shot from Mullins' etches itself into March Man's history, leaving Duke to regroup from what could have been another deep run while Yukon advances with momentum.