John Calipari claims Duke collapse vs. UConn 'can't define' Jon Scheyer as a coach

In one of the greatest moments in NCAA Tournament history, UConn freshman Braylon Mullins drilled a near 40-foot three-point shot to sink Duke in last week’s Elite Eight game. The shot will forever be remembered as one of the defining shots of March Madness.

During Friday’s episode of ESPN’s Get Up, Arkansas head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer John Calipari discussed the absurd shot. Calipari also claimed that Mullins’ miracle heave shouldn’t define Duke head coach Jon Scheyer.

“First of all, it shows you can do different things and win, even if you don’t think they’re right and still win,” Calipari said. “UConn not fouling (Cayden) Boozer when he caught the ball… I was like, ‘Why won’t they foul?’ Well, they throw it. That kid could have held it, but they throw it away. They come back, have no shot, shoot a three, and oh my god. What just happened?

“I feel bad for Jon Scheyer, because he’s following a legend, icon, and maybe one of the best to ever do it (Mike Krzyzewski). Following that man and doing what he’s doing at Duke; you can’t define him by that moment. But, this stuff was crazy. UConn making that three from 40-feet… that’s what Madness is about. To be honest with you.”

Jon Scheyer, Duke have experienced multiple NCAA Tournament heartbreakers

Through his first four seasons at Duke, Scheyer has led the Blue Devils to a stellar 124-25 (65-13) record with three consecutive Elite Eight appearances and a Final Four run last season. However, all three of those postseason runs have ended in immense disappointment.

In 2024, No. 4 seed Duke was upset by No. 11 seed NC State 76-64, just 27 days after it routed the Wolfpack by 15 points in its second-to-last regular season game. Last season, Duke led Houston by 13 points with 10:31 remaining in their Final Four matchup, and ultimately fell 70-67. This season, the Blue Devils led UConn 44-29 at halftime and looked to be on their way back to the Final Four, but were outscored 44-28 in a disastrous second half.

“Yeah, we just have to secure it, right? We got it. They had a foul. I was ready for a timeout. We’ve just got to hold on,” Scheyer said following the UConn loss. “It’s easy to look at that play — I look at every play that happened, especially in that second half, this is not about one play. It’s about every play that put us in that position, and that’s what you don’t want to do, where one play something could happen.

“For me, look, it’s going to be tough, but it’s not going to be on one play.”

While Duke regroups for year five of the Scheyer era, UConn will face Illinois on Saturday for a spot in the National Championship Game.