Kon Knueppel reveals how he found out Duke blew Elite Eight game vs. UConn

For the second consecutive season, Duke suffered a heartbreaking loss in the NCAA Tournament. This year, the Blue Devils gave up a 19-point lead to allow UConn to hit a last-second 3-pointer and advance to the Final Four.

In the 2024-25 season, the Blue Devils let a 14-point lead slip away before ultimately falling against Houston. During an appearance on Wake Up Barstool, former Duke standout Kon Knueppel revealed how he learned of the Blue Devils’ downfall against UConn.

“We were playing the Celtics, and we were running out to the game, and I checked the score. It’s 40-21. Run out for warm-ups and I talk a little crap to Liam McNeeley, who went to UConn, and is on our team,” Knueppel recalled. “Ran out to the game, come back in for halftime. Then, as we’re running out to warm up for halftime, there’s a big TV and like an eating space for the ticket holders, and I saw that it was 72-69 with like 26 seconds left.

“I was like, ‘Whoa.’ At that point, I was like — I still felt pretty confident, like you’re gonna win the game. And then as we’re shooting at halftime, we just hear the whole crowd go, ‘Ohhhhhhhh,’ which is a pretty tough way to figure out that we lost.”

Knueppel also noted that McNeeley wasn’t shy to celebrate Duke’s loss. Knueppel will undoubtedly be forced to relive the moment for years to come when it repeatedly plays on March Madness highlight reels.

In fairness, the turn of events was nothing short of spectacular. With 10 seconds remaining against UConn, Duke had a two-point lead and possession. The Blue Devils inbounded the ball and swung it around the backcourt before it ultimately landed in freshman Cayden Boozer‘s hands.

Boozer attempted to throw the ball into the frontcourt and run out the clock, punching Duke’s ticket to the Final Four. Instead, the ball got tipped and UConn recovered it.

The Blue Devils scrambled, attempting to prevent any Huskies from finding an open look. Alas, when UConn guard Braylon Mullins reeled in a pass 35 feet from the basket, he didn’t hesitate. Mullins connected on the deep-range 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining.

Duke failed to retaliate and was left shell-shocked when the final horn sounded. While Knueppel was far from happy to see his alma mater eliminated from the tournament, he still has plenty to smile about.

Knueppel is a front-runner for the NBA Rookie of the Year award after breaking the rookie record for most 3-pointers made in a season. He is averaging 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, while shooting 42.9% from downtown.