Dan Hurley’s heartfelt message on Elite 8 hero Braylon Mullins

Things weren’t looking good for the UConn Huskies as they trailed by double digits in the first half against Duke in the Elite Eight. But UConn is going to the Final Four thanks to a second-half rally capped off by Braylon Mullins’ game-winner from the logo.

Following the game, UConn head coach Dan Hurley couldn’t help but be a little emotional when talking about Braylon Mullins’ game-winner to eliminate Duke.

“The courage. You have a young man, he’s a rare human being,” Hurley said. “The toughness about him, to take the shot, on a tough shooting night, but he was due.”

As Hurley mentioned, it was the best shooting game for Mullins. Before that shot, he was only 3-of-9 from the field and 0-of-4 from the 3-point line. He ended up finishing with 10 points and one rebound in 26 minutes of play. But no play was bigger than his game-winner as the game clock ran down.

The Huskies might not have even gotten an attempt at a game-winner if Duke would have protected the ball better. Duke had possession of the ball with no shot clock and a two-point lead, 72-70. Instead of playing smart and holding on for the win, they turned it over at midcourt, setting up the eventual Mullins’ game-winner.

While UConn still has at least one more game to play, Mullins’ will have to mule returning for his sophomore season, or possibly jumping to the NBA Draft. He’s been projected as a potential first-round pick.

Mullins has appeared in 30 games this season, including 26 starts, at just about 28 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 43.5 percent shooting from the field, 33.2 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 88.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

The post Dan Hurley’s heartfelt message on Elite 8 hero Braylon Mullins appeared first on ClutchPoints.