Written by MICHAEL KOH
For the second straight year, a Duke-UNC game served as an omen for the end of the Blue Devils’ season.
The comparisons between Duke’s all-time Elite Eight collapse vs. UConn Sunday and UNC’s all-time first round collapse against VCU are already being made. Both teams went up by 19 points and appeared to be cruising. Both fell victim to frenetic rallies and mental mistakes: Carolina’s five-second violation and Cayden Boozer’s ill-fated pass will both go down in Triangle infamy.
But it was another UNC game which came to mind after the Huskies’ epic win. When Braylon Mullins pulled up from near half-court and swished the go-ahead three-pointer, the clock in the arena read 0.3 seconds and was later corrected to 0.4. That’s exactly the amount of time that was left on the clock when Seth Trimble drilled his go-ahead three against Duke in the Smith Center in February. And how about this: Duke’s radio broadcast immediately complained of UConn players running onto the floor after Mullins’ shot, noting it should have been a technical foul. Remember the double court storming in Chapel Hill after the Trimble shot?
The Duke radio call of the UConn winner. pic.twitter.com/WBPsqVbcJk
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) March 29, 2026
UNC and UConn both were able to pull victories from the jaws of defeat after trailing nearly the entire game. The Tar Heels hadn’t led at all until the final 0.4 seconds, and Mullins’ shot gave the Huskies their first lead since the score was 2-0. In fact, each of Duke’s three losses this season came when the Blue Devils had controlled the majority of the game; they were up by as many as 17 against Texas Tech in December before losing 82-81.
And of course, it’s hard not to think about Duke’s meltdown in the Final Four against Houston last year. The Cooper Flagg-led Devils were seemingly waltzing their way to Monday night before the never-say-die Cougars willed their way back into it thanks to timely shotmaking and a ferocious full-court press. That, too, was previewed by a game against UNC. In the ACC Tournament earlier that month, the Tar Heels began to pressure the Flagg-less Blue Devils and nearly completed a miraculous rally. Only a Jae’Lyn Withers lane violation prevented what would’ve been the tying free throw.
Jon Scheyer’s meltdowns haven’t come as frequently as Hubert Davis’ did, but they have come on much bigger stages. That’s partly a credit to Scheyer for getting there in the first place, but also a reminder that, regardless of roster talent or coaching acumen, madness can happen to anyone.
Michael Koh is filling in for Art Chansky today, as Art is temporarily out on a medical leave recovering from an accident.
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Featured image via Associated Press/Abbie Parr
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