NCAA tournament takeaways: UConn reaches Final Four on wild game winner over Duke; UConn and UCLA women each pull away in Elite 8

It ended up being pretty straightforward for the first three games across the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments on Sunday.

But the final game, which solidified the men’s Final Four field, had an incredible ending for everyone that isn’t a Duke fan.

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UConn rallies to stun Duke with game-winner

Braylon Mullins got UConn back to the Final Four on Sunday night.

Mullins, after the Huskies fell down by 19 points early, drilled a wild logo 3-pointer with just 0.4 seconds left on the clock to push UConn to a 73-72 win. That came after a brutal turnover from Cayden Boozer, too. All Boozer had to do was hang onto the ball, and it would have been Duke that was headed to Indianapolis instead.

The shot was an all-timer, one that naturally sparked a massive reaction on the Huskies bench.

“Just happy to see that s**t go in,” Mullins said. “I’m so happy.”

The 19-point rally was the sixth-largest comeback in NCAA tournament history, and one of the worst in Duke history. The Blue Devils are now the first No. 1 seed to lose in the tournament after leading by at least 15 points at halftime, too. Previously, teams in that position were a perfect 134-0.

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UConn will now head to the Final Four for the third time in the last four seasons. The last two times the Huskies were there, they won the national title. They’ll take on Illinois in the semifinal on Saturday night, while Arizona and Michigan will square off on the other side of the bracket.

But Duke, despite entering the tournament as the top overall seed with very real championship hopes, will now have to watch from home.

UConn, UCLA women survive scares to reach Final Four

Neither UConn nor UCLA made it easy on Sunday. But both programs, as many expected entering the tournament, are headed to the Final Four.

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UConn, after holding just a seven-point lead at halftime, pulled away in the second half to pick up a 70-52 win over Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame to kick off the slate of games on Sunday afternoon. While it ended up being a near-20-point blowout, the game was anything but for the first three quarters. Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong were held to a combined 10 points in the first half, the duo’s worst output in any first half all season, and the Huskies only scored 12 total points in the second quarter.

But eventually, they surged ahead in the second half and put Notre Dame away for good to reach the Final Four for a 17th time in the past 18 tournaments. The Huskies, who are undefeated and only had one game within single digits all season, look very capable of winning the national title in a week.

UCLA’s test in the second game was similar. The Bruins, who entered the contest with a 34-1 record, entered halftime down by eight points to Duke and had to rally in the second half. But it was a huge 16-6 run in the second half that finally put them back in control of the game. They outscored Duke 20-8 in the third quarter and then held on late to grab a 12-point win.

The game was a rare test for the Bruins, who have now won 29 straight games and have won 32 of its last 34 games by double figures.

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A potential UCLA and UConn battle wouldn’t happen until the national championship game. The Bruins will await either No. 1 Texas or No. 2 Michigan in the Final Four, while the Huskies will get either No. 1 South Carolina or No. 3 TCU.

If we get there, a UCLA-UConn title game would surely be an entertaining and close battle. That’s something neither team has had many of all year. While there is still a ways to go, both teams are still standing and have secured trips to Phoenix. Time will tell if the other No. 1 seeds will join them.

Michigan with another blowout

The Wolverines wanted to make sure everyone knew they were still legitimate title contenders before the chaos hit on Sunday night.

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Michigan just about had its Final Four trip secured by halftime in its game in what was a 95-62 rout of Tennessee in Chicago. The Wolverines went on a 32-10 run to end the first half, and star Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 27 points. They have now scored at least 90 points in all four of their NCAA tournament games so far this March, and the 33-point blowout was the largest in the men’s Elite Eight since 1989.

That was the 21st game with a margin of 20 points or more this NCAA tournament, too, which is a modern tournament record. Arizona broke the previous mark of 19 games, which was set back in 199, when it beat Arkansas by 21 points in the Sweet 16.

Michigan and Arizona will now square off first in Indianapolis, which looks like it should be a national championship-level game in the semifinals. The Wildcats have been the favorite to win the title alongside Michigan for much of the season, and they’re coming off a 15-point win over Purdue in their Elite Eight matchup, too.

While the other side of the bracket isn’t out of it, whoever can make it out of that contest unscathed will have a very good shot at bringing home the title next week.

The men’s Final Four field is now set. (Yahoo Sports)

Here’s how everything played out on Sunday.

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