Duke freshman Cayden Boozer had the ball in his hands with a chance to send his team through to the Final Four, but instead a brutal decision led to one of the most stunning upsets in NCAA Tournament history.
With Duke holding a two-point lead in the final seconds of Sunday’s game, Boozer attempted a deep pass to an open teammate but had the ball deflected by a pair of UConn defenders. The Huskies stole the ball and found freshman Braylon Mullins, who hit a deep three-pointer to give UConn a stunning comeback win.
Cayden Boozer’s Sad Statement
After the game, Boozer shared a sad statement about his last-second mistake.
Speaking to reporters after the game, the Duke freshman said he might never recover from the late turnover. The Blue Devils led by as many as 19 points against UConn, but saw the lead dwindle away before Mullins hit the game-winner.
“I’m going to replay that for the rest of my life,” Boozer said.
Boozer had a strong performance before his ill-advised pass, scoring 15 points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting while going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. He added six assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
Another Boozer Twin Facing Criticism
Cayden Boozer is not the only Duke player who faced some criticism for the team’s last-second collapse. His twin brother, Cameron Boozer, was also called out for passing the ball to Cayden after Duke got a clean inbound pass. With less than 10 seconds remaining, Duke only needed to hold onto the ball and force UConn to foul.
Robert Zeglinski of USA Today’s For the Win noted that Cameron Boozer had no reason to pass it to his twin brother, who then turned the ball over to the Huskies.
“You see, Boozer was one of the Duke players who actually caught the ball clean while protecting its late two-point lead,” Zeglinski wrote. “And like the other Duke players who caught the ball clean while protecting a two-point lead, Boozer passed the ball for no reason rather than simply absorbing a foul to get to the free throw line and ice away the victory.”
Zeglinski added that Cayden Boozer has a bright future ahead, but that likely won’t lessen the sting from Sunday’s brutal loss.
“Given his talent, Boozer will likely go on to enjoy a great NBA career,” Zeglinski wrote. “He certainly looks the part of a star player. But this sequence for Duke will probably hunt him for a while before then. Understandably so.”
There is also blame to go around for the entire Duke team, who held a 19-point lead and became the first 1-seed in NCAA Tournament history to lose after leading by at least 15 points at halftime.
Some of the criticism for Duke and both Boozer twins was also overshadowed by praise for UConn and the poise they showed, especially the deep three-pointer from the freshman Mullins to take the lead late. With the win, the Huskies return to the Final Four while Duke heads to a long offseason — and the Boozer twins to a decision about whether to return or head off to the NBA.
Duke Star Cayden Boozer Gets Brutally Honest About Crushing UConn Mistake