The District took center stage during the NCAA March Madness East Regional, with the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight hosted at Capital One Arena.
All eyes were on a thrilling East Region field that featured a compelling mix of tradition and stardom. Entering the Sweet 16 was a blue-blood program in the Duke Blue Devils, a modern powerhouse in the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies, and two Hall of Fame coaches in Rick Pitino of the St. John’s Red Storm and Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans.
But only the UConn Huskies and Duke Blue Devils advanced, facing one another in the Elite Eight on Sunday, March 29.
“Thrilled to welcome the Sweet Sixteen [and] Elite Eight back to Capital One Arena for March Madness,” CEO of Monumental Sports and Entertainment Ted Leonis wrote on X. “One of college basketball’s best weekends… right in the heart of D.C. With our ongoing arena renovations, we’re only raising the bar for fans and teams. Looking forward to another great chapter of college basketball.”
UConn Powers Past Duke with Stunning 73-72 Victory, Capped by Mullins 3-Pointer
The No. 2 seed UConn Huskies delivered one of the most thrilling comebacks in NCAA Tournament history on Sunday night.
“Obviously that’s an epic, just another chapter in the UConn-Duke NCAA Tournament dramatics,” said Dan Hurley, UConn’s head coach. “Obviously a really tough way for their season to end. I thought they played great. I thought they punched us in the mouth with incredible force.”
The Huskies erased a 19-point deficit, bewildering the Duke Blue Devils, the No. 1 overall seed, 73-72. Not only was it a top highlight of the 2026 March Madness run but it was an Elite Eight finish.
With just 0.4 seconds remaining, freshman wing Braylon Mullins drilled a fearless, deep three-pointer off a Duke turnover.
“ [It’s] still a loss of words,” said Mullins. “[I’m] still processing all of what just happened..”
It was the first shot Mullins made beyond the arc all night, giving UConn its first lead since the opening minute. The shot didn’t just win the game, it etched Mullins’ name into the history books of March Madness.
The Huskies looked dead in the water late in the first half, trailing 44-25 and misfiring on nearly every attempt from deep.
“ I just thought we were a little bit on our heels,” said Hurley. “ We didn’t get after them and try to pressure them or make them uncomfortable. I just think that we probably…gave a little bit too much respect to their individual players.”
They opened with a dismal 1-for-18 from three-point range, but instead of folding, they clawed their way back with grit, defense, and dominance in the paint.
At the heart of the rally was senior center Tarris Reed Jr., who delivered a powerhouse performance with 26 points (10-16 FG), nine rebounds, three assists, and a defensive presence that the Blue Devils simply couldn’t solve.
“Honestly, it was just trying to win at this point. It could be my last college basketball game, and they were just like, go for it all,” said Reed. “Coach told us before the game, you’ve got to swing for the fences, go as hard as you can.”
Huskie guards Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr. provided clutch plays down the stretch, while redshirt senior forward Alex Karaban knocked down a critical three-pointer in the final minute to pull UConn within one.
Duke briefly regained their footing behind freshman forward Cameron Boozer, who answered with a bucket, making the score 72-69 with under 30 seconds left.
But in a moment that will haunt the Blue Devils, a pass from freshman guard Cayden Boozer was deflected in the closing seconds, setting the stage for Mullins’ UConn miracle.
The collapse was historic and brutal. Teams seeded No. 1 were 134-0 all-time when leading by 15 or more at halftime, until now.
In a moment of heroics destined for memory, Mullins carried UConn to the Final Four in Indianapolis, just miles from his hometown of Greenfield, Indiana. Already a McDonald’s All-American, he’ll now return home a legend after delivering one of the greatest shots the Elite Eight has ever seen.
For Duke and head coach Jon Scheyer, it marks a second straight year of postseason heartbreak after another blown double-digit lead.
Meanwhile, UConn’s head coach, once again, proved his program’s championship DNA after a masterclass second-half.
“It takes a strong team. It takes a tough team. It takes strong men. It takes a bunch of players that let us coach them, let us coach them hard. That starts in June,” Hurley said.“We run a very intense program. We put a lot of pressure on them on a daily basis to do the right things … to be prepared because that’s what it takes to win games like this.”
The No. 2 seed UConn Huskies are set to face the No. 3 seed The Fighting Illini of the University of Illinois on Saturday, April 4 in Indianapolis. Tip-off is set for 6:09 p.m. EST.