UConn's Elite Comeback

See how the Duke UConn Elite Eight game progressed, point-by-point, as UConn overcame a steep deficit to oust the Blue Devils from the March Madness tournament.

By Holden Green

The mens basketball teams from Duke and the University of Connecticut faced off in the Elite Eight round of this year's March Madness tournament. Duke, the Eastern Region's 1-seed, were the favorite heading into the matchup and held a strong lead from the start.

But UConn never gave up, even as they faced a nearly 20-point deficit, and this game would prove pivotal in their quest for the Championship.

See below how, point-by-point, UConn kept their heads in the game and pushed back against Duke's relentless scoring.


The below line chart shows the point differential between the two teams during the game (Duke's score minus UConn's score). The scoreboard in the upper left corner of the chart specifies each team's actual point totals throughout the game.

When the line goes closer to the top of the page, that means that Duke has a larger lead over UConn. When the line goes lower on the chart, it means the two teams are closer to tied.

90 seconds into the game, Duke leads UConn 4-2. The Huskies scored first in the game and maintained the 2-point advantage for 51 seconds before Duke tied it up then took the lead.

After 5 minutes of game play, the Blue Devils held a healthy lead over the Huskies. At 16-8, Duke had scored twice as many points as their opponents and were maintaining comfortable control of the court.

For almost 5 minutes UConn did not score a single point, the Huskies' longest drought of the game. Meanwhile, Duke increased their total from 26 to 40.

Duke entered halftime 15 points ahead of UConn, fueled by standout peformances from their two freshman phenoms – twin brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer.

For the first time in more than 15 minutes of game time, UConn was within 10 points of Duke. With 12:20 left in the game, it began to look like a closer game than Duke's first half performance would make it seem.

As the game entered its last 4 minutes it was down to the wire. After over 30 minutes of game time UConn has narrowed their deficit to 2 points again.

The game was very nearly done and both teams were throwing all they could at the game. UConn's Silas Demary Jr. went 1-for-2 on free throws, putting the team just one two-point shot away from tying the game.

There are 10 seconds on the clock as Duke, in white, restarts play with a throw-in.