The Great Blue Devil Disappearing Act: A D.C. Special

The Great Blue Devil Disappearing Act: A D.C. Special

If you missed Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup in Washington D.C., don’t worry—Duke apparently missed the second half, too. In a performance that can only be described as "The Opposite of Houdini," the No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils managed to turn a 19-point lead into a plane ticket home, falling 73-72 to a UConn team that spent the first thirty minutes shooting like they were wearing oven mitts.

The Bricklayer’s Union

For a long stretch, UConn’s strategy appeared to be "remodel the arena by denting the rim." The Huskies started a blistering 1-of-18 from beyond the arc. It was the kind of shooting performance that makes you wonder if the baskets were actually optical illusions.

But while UConn was busy building a brick subdivision, Duke was cruising. Led by Cameron Boozer’s 27 points, the Blue Devils went up 44-25. At halftime, No. 1 seeds leading by 15+ were 134-0 all-time. Duke looked at that stat and said, "Hold my Gatorade, I want to make history for all the wrong reasons."

The Anatomy of a Meltdown

How does a team blow a lead that large?

1. The Tarris Reed Problem: UConn’s center decided he was a one-man wrecking crew, bullying his way to 26 points.

2. The "Oops" Factor: Duke’s DNA under Jon Scheyer is starting to look a lot like a fragile glass ornament in a room full of toddlers. After blowing a 14-point lead to Houston last year, they decided to up the ante this year.

3. The Final 10 Seconds: This is where it gets truly slapstick. With a lead and the ball, Duke just had to play "keep-away." Instead, Cayden Boozer—an 81% free-throw shooter—decided to pass the ball into a crowd like he was trying to start a game of ultimate frisbee.

The Shot

The ball was deflected, scuffled around, and eventually found its way to freshman Braylon Mullins. Now, Mullins was about 35 feet away—roughly the distance from D.C. to Maryland—but he let it fly.

Swish. With 0.4 seconds left, the Huskies took their first lead since the Reagan administration (or at least since the opening minute). Somewhere, Christian Laettner felt a disturbance in the Force.

The Aftermath

UConn heads to Indianapolis to face Illinois, carrying an 18-game winning streak in the late rounds of the tournament. They are currently attempting to replicate the 1970s UCLA dynasty, while Duke is currently attempting to figure out how to play a full 40 minutes without a collective existential crisis.

Coach Jon Scheyer might want to invest in some noise-canceling headphones, because the "heat" is coming, and it’s not just the D.C. humidity.

Final Score:UConn: 73 (And a trip to the Final Four)

Duke: 72 (And a very quiet bus ride)