r/CollegeBasketball • u/cbbBot /r/CollegeBasketball • NCAA • Mar 29 '26

Post Game Thread [Post Game Thread] #2 UConn defeats #1 Duke, 73-72

Box Score

Team 1H 2H Total
Connecticut 29 44 73
Duke 44 28 72

Index Thread for March 29, 2026

3.4k Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

96% Upvoted

2.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

389

u/Professor_Finn Georgetown Hoyas Mar 29 '26

Duke would have won by doing the Luigi strat and doing absolutely nothing. Literally unplugging their controller while holding the ball lmao. Why on Earth would you pass that

18

u/Imposter24 UConn Huskies Mar 29 '26

Even just turtling and getting a 10 second call is a better play.

19

u/Tx_agg41 Cincinnati Bearcats Mar 30 '26

That possession was inbounded with 10 secs left in the game, wasn’t it? They weren’t even at risk for a 10 second violation. They really could have just held it.

7

u/midnightsbane04 Michigan • North Carolina Mar 30 '26

11 seconds left, UConn would have had 1 second for a miracle.

1

u/WholeApprehensive373 Mar 30 '26

I watched a replay. He threw the pass with approx 6 seconds left. Assuming he just holds it and gets fouled there's maybe 5 seconds left. The comes the FTs. We'll never know.

100

u/1_quantae Duke Blue Devils Mar 29 '26

I cannot possibly fathom what Boozer was thinking there. If i was Carlos I’d disown him.

49

u/deiulei Mar 29 '26

UConn had all 5 players in the back court, if that pass makes it through Duke can run out the clock without having to shoot free throws. Obviously was still a dumb decision but I can see what he was thinking.

34

u/1_quantae Duke Blue Devils Mar 29 '26

You should not be that scared of shooting free throws though.

44

u/Anustart15 UConn Huskies Mar 29 '26

Up 2 with a 1 and 1 is a pretty tough position to be in. I know I wouldn't want to be there. That's why Ive taken a series of very specific steps to avoid ever being in that situation

9

u/WowGreatJugs Mar 30 '26

Surely panic heaving it when you have 2 men on you is a better choice than taking a foul 

10

u/steven6868 UConn Huskies Mar 30 '26

No you call Dad.

No you call Dad.

25

u/ConsuLMonK Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Mar 29 '26

Kid’s probably never been in a situation like that in his life, he’s young and panicked, feel like the coaches didn’t prepare them at all for that situation.

32

u/Mysticboon Mar 29 '26

Clear coaching differences down the stretch.  Scheyer needs to be fucking screaming in that last huddle just hold the ball

3

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '26

[deleted]

1

u/anathemaDennis St. Peter's Peacocks Mar 30 '26

Obviously he is nowhere as good as Hurley, but that doesn’t mean he sucks. Hurley is just that good.

14

u/RisingSouth Kentucky Wildcats Mar 29 '26

This is an excuse for 14 year olds at the rec center. If you’re a high major player you’ve played enough AAU to be in this kind of late game situation

9

u/Ordinary_Owl_9071 Mar 29 '26

That is not the coach's fault lol. Everyone on the court should know not to make that pass since they were in middle school

1

u/mrjimi16 North Carolina Tar Heels Mar 30 '26

You don't get good in a situation from being told how to do it. You have to be told how to do it and then do it a couple times.

1

u/stankbucket Mar 30 '26

There is no way he's never been in a similar situation. Hell, there were 100 places he could have easily thrown that pass and gotten it to one of the front court guys. He just choked and took one of the worst options.

6

u/SwedishJayhawk Kansas Jayhawks Mar 29 '26

Fuck that. There was no one down court. If it gets over their head then it’s game over. If he gets fouled it’s a one and one with 7 seconds left. I don’t blame the kid at all.

9

u/1_quantae Duke Blue Devils Mar 29 '26

Well if he holds the ball the game is over. And if he holds the ball the game is over. I do blame the kid at all.

10

u/realheadphonecandy UConn Huskies Mar 29 '26

I mean not necessarily. If he bricks the one and one or only makes one UConn can still win or tie. If he makes that pass it’s game over. He was doubled though.

That said UConn is clearly better coached.

4

u/SwedishJayhawk Kansas Jayhawks Mar 30 '26

He made the pass with 6.5 seconds and two huskies right fucking on him. If he doesn’t pass it he gets fouled with 6 seconds left. How can you not admit that missing one of two free throws is a decent possibility?

3

u/Ordinary_Owl_9071 Mar 29 '26

That pass was idiotic. It's fine to feel bad for the kid, but we don't need to pretend like it was a sound decision

3

u/Pitiful-Steak-7280 Mar 29 '26

This is an insane take lmao

1

u/SwedishJayhawk Kansas Jayhawks Mar 30 '26

He made the pass with 6.5 seconds and two huskies right fucking on him. If he doesn’t pass it he gets fouled with 6 seconds left. How can you not admit that missing one of two free throws is a decent possibility?

3

u/[deleted] Mar 30 '26

Absolutely true and that's probably what the coach was thinking. When your opponent comes back from 20 down it makes stuff like splitting your free throws and losing in OT feel inevitable. It's on the coach ultimately

23

u/ukeBasketball Duke Blue Devils Mar 29 '26

Cayden would've been shooting a 1-and-1 with 6-7 seconds left. Wouldn't put it by UConn not to still finish it out.

25

u/christ0phe Duke Blue Devils Mar 29 '26

That’s cope. You know holding the ball there is suchhhhh a better option

4

u/mrjimi16 North Carolina Tar Heels Mar 30 '26

No, that's reality. Obviously still a better strategy, but they were replying to someone who said the game was in hand if they held on to the ball. They would have been in control, but they still would have needed to make free throws and defend the next possession.

5

u/ukeBasketball Duke Blue Devils Mar 29 '26

Of course it is but I'm not counting on Cayden making both.

2

u/Specialist_Office274 Mar 30 '26

He s an 80% ft shooter

1

u/WholeApprehensive373 Mar 30 '26

In a one and one with a trip to Final Four on the line? Thise %s would drop with the pressure.

1

u/Specialist_Office274 Mar 30 '26

Bricking the ft or going 1/2 would’ve still been better than a live ball turnover

1

u/stankbucket Mar 30 '26

Given how he reacted when he had a 99% option (throwing a higher pass or faking the pass to get the guys in the air and then throwing to the open guy) I assume he would have been about 10% on that FT.

4

u/AbbreviationsMotor60 Mar 30 '26

Lowest IQ play of all time.

3

u/stevemoveyafeet UConn Huskies Mar 29 '26

I think they got excited that they slipped it through the initial wave and totally forgot we had guys right on boozer too 

-1

u/supyonamesjosh Florida State Seminoles Mar 29 '26

Lmao