UConn March Madness 2026 - Elite Eight Weekend Full Analysis
Connecticut Goes Wild: The Night That Will Live Forever
MyWinners at Bobby V’s in Stamford goes crazy as the last gasp points are scored.
Connecticut erupted on the night of Sunday, March 29, 2026. Bars across the state fell silent, then exploded. Phones lit up across Hartford, Bridgeport, Stamford and New Haven. The Huskies had just done the unthinkable — again. Down 19 points to the Blue Devils with the Elite Eight on the line, Dan Hurley's men fought all the way back, and with 0.3 seconds left on the clock, freshman Braylon Mullins launched an incredible 3-pointer from 35 feet out. It went in. The Huskies won 73-72 and booked their ticket to the Final Four for a third time in four seasons.
And the women weren't done either. No. 1 seed UConn women's team advanced to their 25th Final Four — their 54th consecutive win — dominating Notre Dame 70-52 in Fort Worth. Two UConn programs. Both in the Final Four. Connecticut is March Madness, and March Madness is Connecticut.
Men's Final Score: 73-72 UConn
Women's Final Score: 70-52 UConn
Seconds Remaining on Mullins Shot: 0.3 secs
Men: UConn 73, Duke 72 — The Greatest Comeback
The Game That Broke the Internet
Going into this Elite Eight clash at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., Duke were overwhelming favorites. The Blue Devils had stormed through the season at 35-2, topped the ACC at 17-1, and boasted Cameron Boozer — the consensus favorite to win the Wooden Award as college basketball's best player. UConn, by contrast, were 32-5 and coming off a hard-fought Sweet 16 win over Michigan State.
The opening half reflected those expectations brutally. Duke built a lead that peaked at 19 points, with Boozer, Isaiah Evans, and Cayden Boozer taking turns dissecting the UConn defense. The Huskies managed just one 3-pointer in their first 18 attempts from distance. It looked like carnage but the faithful kept the focus.
"The Huskies made 53% of their shots in the second half and committed only one turnover in the final 20 minutes. To escape a 19-point deficit, they couldn't afford to be careless. They weren't." — ESPN
The Second Half Resurrection
UConn emerged from the locker room a different team. Dan Hurley squeezed the game, forcing Duke into isolation and limiting their transition opportunities. Tarris Reed Jr. dominated Boozer with increasing physicality in the post. And slowly — agonizingly (for Duke fans) — the deficit began to shrink.
The pivotal, let’s start to dream for Huskies fans, moment came when guard Silas Demary Jr. hit back-to-back 3-pointers from opposite corners. Then, with 50 seconds left and Duke leading by three, senior Alex Karaban — the most decorated player in UConn program history, a holdover from both the 2023 and 2024 national championship teams — drilled a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one. He had missed his first five attempts from distance. It was the shot of a man who has been in this moment before.
Then came the final sequence. Duke inbounded with 1:05 left and a one-point lead. Cayden Boozer, under pressure, made an unfortunate heat of the moment pass directly into a UConn trap. Turnover. UConn ball. 0.3 seconds. One chance.
The Mullins Moment
Braylon Mullins caught the inbound, pivoted, and from the logo — 35 feet from the basket — launched a prayer. It was pure. It was net. The scoreboard read 73-72 UConn. The rest was noise, chaos and tears.
The freshman from Greenfield, Indiana has now etched his name into NCAA Tournament history alongside the most iconic buzzer-beaters of all time. Dan Hurley has now won 16 of his 19 NCAA Tournament games at UConn. The Huskies are in the Final Four…. again!
UConn Men's Tournament Run
The Huskies opened with an 82-71 win over No. 15 Furman in the Round of 64, then took down No. 7 UCLA 73-57 in the Round of 32.
The Sweet 16 brought a tighter contest against No. 3 Michigan State, with UConn scraping through 67-63.
Then came the Elite Eight — and the most dramatic finish of the entire tournament. No. 1 Duke, 73-72. Four wins. Final Four.
Key Player Stats — Elite Eight
Braylon Mullins — ~12 pts — Hit the logo 3 with 0.4 seconds left to win the game.
Alex Karaban — ~14 pts, 1 ast — Drained the game-tying 3 with 50 seconds left after missing his first five attempts.
Tarris Reed Jr. — ~18 pts, ~10 reb — Dominated Cameron Boozer in the post all night.
Silas Demary Jr. — ~10 pts — Hit back-to-back 3s from opposite corners to keep UConn in striking range.
Cameron Boozer (Duke) — 27 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast — Lost the ball on the final turnover that led to the Mullins winner.
Final Four: What's Next for the Men
UConn face No. 3 seed Illinois on Saturday, April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, in the early Final Four game (6:09 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV/Max). Illinois reached their first Final Four in 21 years after beating Iowa in their Elite Eight. The Fighting Illini have been the No. 1 ranked offense in the country for most of the season, shooting 59% inside the arc since March 1.
The other semi-final pits No. 1 Arizona against No. 1 Michigan. ESPN and Myron Medcalf's rankings have Michigan as the strongest team on paper (three projected first-round NBA picks, including multiple big men), but note that no team in Indianapolis has a player matching Karaban's experience of winning at the highest level. The championship final is Monday, April 6.
Women: UConn 70, Notre Dame 52 — The 25th Final Four
A Dynasty That Never Rests
The UConn women entered this Elite Eight against arch-rival Notre Dame undefeated at 35-0, and on a 54-game winning streak that spans two seasons. Geno Auriemma's squad had already been tested in this tournament — Notre Dame came in as a 6-seed but had already dispatched two seeded opponents and were carrying the weight of superstar guard Hannah Hidalgo, coming off only the second 30-point triple-double in women's NCAA Tournament history.
Early on, it showed. UConn's offensive engine sputtered, making just two of their first seven shots. Star performers Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong were held to a combined 10 first-half points — their worst output of the season. And yet, as UConn sides always do, they found a way. Freshman Blanca Quinonez came off the bench in the opening quarter and scored 12 of UConn's final 16 first-quarter points to give the Huskies a 9-point buffer they never fully surrendered.
Sarah Strong and the Fourth Quarter Surge
The defining passage came in the final period. Notre Dame trailed by 11 after three quarters but had Hidalgo — who finished with 22 points — keeping the Irish in range. UConn outscored them 23-16 in the fourth to seal a comfortable 18-point final margin. Sarah Strong, the regional Most Outstanding Player, finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists.
UConn's bench dominated Notre Dame's bench 26-3. Depth is the Huskies' calling card, and in Phoenix next weekend, against what is expected to be a field including UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina (all No. 1 seeds), that depth will be tested.
Women's Individual Performers — Elite Eight
Sarah Strong was the standout, earning Regional MOP honors with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 assists.
Freshman Blanca Quinonez was equally impressive off the bench — she scored 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, including 12 of her points in the first quarter when UConn needed someone to step up.
Azzi Fudd had a quiet day by her standards (13 points, 4 assists, 3 steals), while Jana El Alfy made a real impact in just 7 minutes with 4 points and 4 rebounds.
For Notre Dame, Hannah Hidalgo gave everything — 22 points and 11 rebounds — but needed 19 shots to get there, and no teammate reached double figures.
Women's Final Four in Phoenix
UConn will face either Texas or South Carolina in the Women's Final Four in Phoenix. The other side of the bracket features UCLA, who beat Duke 70-58 on the strength of 54 paint points — their 26th game this season with 40+ paint points. The Huskies are the heavy favorites to go undefeated and win their seventh perfect season. A UConn title would make them the first back-to-back women's champion since they won four straight from 2013-16.
Betting Analysis: What the Markets Looked Like
Pre-Game Odds for UConn vs. Duke (Men)
Duke went into this contest as clear favorites across every major market. On the moneyline, Duke opened at -203 on Kalshi before settling at -238 to -240 on the major books, with UConn ranging from +180 to +196. The spread landed at Duke -5.5 after moving from an opening of -5.0, reflecting steady money coming in on the Blue Devils. The total opened at 132 and climbed to 134.5, with the over priced at -115 and the under at -105.
Betting Splits
Public betting was heavily split depending on the market. On the moneyline, Duke received 60% of bets and 53% of the handle — the crowd backed the favorite. The spread told a different story: UConn +5.5 was the public's pick, pulling in 72% of bets and 75% of the handle. The total was the most lopsided market of all, with the over attracting 87% of bets and 71% of the handle.
What Happened to Your Bets
UConn moneyline bettors (+196) won — bet $100, win $196 profit.
Duke moneyline bettors (-238 to -240) lost their stake.
On the spread, UConn won by 1 point so the +5.5 covered easily — those bets pay at approximately -110 (bet $110, win $100). Duke -5.5 did not cover, stake lost.
The combined final score was 145 points, well above the 134.5 line, so over bets win at approximately -115 and under bets lose.
Looking at futures, anyone who had UConn to reach the Final Four wins and gets paid at their original odds. Duke to win the Championship is a loss — they were eliminated.
IMPORTANT: All bet settlements below are based on the final official score: UConn 73, Duke 72.
UConn Final Four Odds (What Comes Next)
With UConn through to the Final Four, updated championship odds are now posted for the Indianapolis semi-final against Illinois. As of publication, ESPN notes Michigan and Arizona are listed as co-favorites to win the championship — but UConn's tournament pedigree makes them a live underdog worth watching at current prices.
Connecticut Betting Rule: The UConn Window
Betting on UConn games in Connecticut is not legal — no spread, no moneyline, no props. The one exception is a futures bet (UConn to win the championship), available only through a specific window that closed before the First Four tipped off.
How the Window Works
Under Connecticut law, in-state college teams are off the board for all betting during the regular season and conference play. The NCAA Tournament opens a narrow exception: once the bracket is announced, a futures-only betting window opens for UConn men's and women's championship bets through Fanatics Sportsbook at any MyWinners or Winners venue in Connecticut.
This window opened on Selection Sunday, March 15 at 6 p.m. ET and closed before the First Four tipped off on Tuesday, March 17. That was roughly a 48-hour window. If you didn't place your UConn championship futures bet in that window, it was not available on licensed CT platforms for the rest of the tournament.
What Was and Wasn't Available
During that window, you could bet UConn Men or UConn Women to win the NCAA Championship — and that was it. Individual game bets on UConn (moneyline, spread, total) and player props are never permitted on licensed CT books, window or no window. Everything else — any non-CT team like Duke or Illinois — is available at any time with no restriction.
If you placed a UConn championship futures bet at a MyWinners or Winners venue during the March 15-17 window and UConn win it all in Indianapolis on April 6 — that ticket pays out at the odds locked in on Selection Sunday night.
If you placed a single-game bet on UConn vs. Duke, that bet was not available on licensed CT platforms. Bettors who crossed into New York, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island to place it were operating legally under those states' rules.
Final Thought: A State of Champions
Connecticut does not have an NBA team. It does not have an NFL franchise. What it has is UConn — and right now, UConn is better than any of that. The men are three wins from a third national title in four years. The women are chasing their seventh perfect season. Both are alive. Both are dangerous. Both are Huskies.
For bettors in Connecticut, this tournament has been — and continues to be — a gift. If you placed a UConn championship futures bet during the March 15-17 window at a MyWinners or Winners venue, that ticket is still live. Stay legal, stay with licensed platforms, and enjoy the ride.
UConn is not done. Neither are you.
For everything else on the board, head to your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue and get your bets in before tip-off. Thursday's games start at 7:10 p.m. ET. Find your nearest MyWinners venue here.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Description textUConn won 73-72 on a last-second 3-pointer by freshman Braylon Mullins with 0.4 seconds remaining. The Huskies trailed by as many as 19 points before completing one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the Final Four. goes here
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Description text goes hereBraylon Mullins, a freshman wing from Greenfield, Indiana, hit a logo 3-pointer from approximately 35 feet out with 0.4 seconds left to give UConn the 73-72 win. The shot came off a Duke turnover in the final minute, following a game-tying 3 from senior Alex Karaban moments earlier.
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Description text goes hereOnly in a limited way. Under Connecticut law, you cannot place individual game bets on UConn on licensed CT platforms — no moneyline, no spread, no over/under. The one exception is a futures bet on UConn to win the championship outright, which was available exclusively through a roughly 48-hour window that opened when the bracket dropped on Selection Sunday, March 15, and closed before the First Four tipped off on March 17. That window is now closed for 2026.
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Item descriptionUConn women are in the Final Four for the 25th time in program history, extending their winning streak to 54 consecutive games. They beat No. 6 Notre Dame 70-52 in the Elite Eight, with Sarah Strong earning Most Outstanding Player honors. The Huskies are undefeated at 35-0 and are the heavy favorites to win the national championship in Phoenix.
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Item descriptionUConn face No. 3 seed Illinois in the first semi-final on Saturday, April 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (6:09 p.m. ET, TBS). The other semi-final is No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 1 Michigan. A win over Illinois would put UConn in the national championship game on Monday, April 6, where they would need one more win to become the first program since UCLA in the 1960s to win three national titles in four years.
