INDIANAPOLIS – This time, Braylon Mullins didn’t wait for the buzzer.
Less than a week after his memorable heave to beat Duke in the Elite Eight, the Connecticut freshman made a pair from 3-point range in the first three minutes to set the tone for the Huskies’ 71-62 win against Illinois in the Final Four.
“I think it was the flow of the game, but coming into the game I knew I needed to shoot it with confidence coming off last Sunday just to have that flow, that momentum,” Mullins said. “Seeing the first two go in, it just boosts all the confidence for you to keep shooting. I think it just happened within the game.”
His teammates also had a good feeling: “When he hit that first one I kind of knew it was a going to be a good day. Once he hits that first shot and he’s aggressive, he’s kind of unstoppable, to be honest with you,” said junior forward Jaylin Stewart.
“His game’s always on point,” added freshman center Eric Reibe.
With the game still in the balance and the Illini cutting a 14-point deficit to a four-point UConn lead with under a minute to play, Mullins made another 3-pointer from the wing to secure the win and a matchup against the winner of the second national semifinal between No. 1 seeds Michigan and Arizona.
“Really, just since he stepped on campus he’s had such a great maturity to where I just want him to be himself and not let the moment get to you, don’t let any external pressure get to you,” said senior forward Alex Karaban. “Because at the end of the day, everything is amplified here. But you’re just playing basketball.”
Mullins finished with 15 points on 5 of 14 shooting, including 4 of 7 makes from deep. He had been mired in a long shooting slump, making a combined 11 of 59 3-pointers in his past nine games and just 5 of 25 in the Huskies’ first four tournament games.
Again and again this NCAA Tournament, Mullins has proved this stage isn’t too big for him to handle.
“I think he’s one of the best freshmen in the country,” Stewart said. “One of the best players in the country, honestly.”
Even against an opponent from the vaunted Big Ten and with his family in attendance for the national semifinals, the Greenfield, Indiana native remained poised and helped the Huskies stand a win away from the seventh national championship in program history.
“The way he’s playing is phenomenal as a freshman,” said senior guard Malachi Smith. “Braylon doesn’t really talk that much, but he talks to us on the court. And that’s what we need. Even when he’s not hitting shots, that’s what we need. He has the mamba mentality of going to the next play.”
After he was held in check until the final seconds against the Blue Devils, Mullins’ ability to get into a flow in the Final Four helped the Huskies take a 37-29 halftime lead after briefly falling behind 22-21 with seven minutes until the break.
But he went cold coming out of the locker room, missing his first five attempts from the field as the Illini began to cut away at the UConn advantage to make it a 63-59 game with a minute left.
All throughout this season, UConn veterans such as Karaban have preached to Mullins the importance of remaining confident even if his shots aren’t falling. Those lessons have continued to pay off: On the next possession, the soft-spoken freshman drilled his game-clinching jumper.
“You've always got to shoot with confidence,” Mullins said. "The set was going to be run for anybody on the team, you've just got to shoot with confidence. Just trying to find the best look on the floor and I know our point guards are going to get us the ball, so I think that was the biggest shot I hit tonight.”
Overshadowed by this late-game magic are the little things that Mullins continues to do even when his shot isn’t falling, teammates said. In the second half against Illinois, that included a pair of steals that helped the Huskies turn a 44-36 game with 17:08 to play into a 13-point lead just two minutes later.
“He gets it done every night. Even if he’s not hitting shots, he impacts the game in so many ways. He’s just a special player,” Stewart said.
But it’s a cold-blooded scorer that Mullins has played a starring role. Shot by shot, he’s building a postseason résumé full of shining-moment memories that will long outlast what could be a one-and-done run with the Huskies.
“We all know what kind of a shooter he is and what kind of scoring ability he has,” said Reibe. “And we really need his confidence. If we bring that together, we’re going to have a good night on Monday.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Braylon Mullins delivers again for UConn in Final Four win over Illinois
D.J. Short
