When Braylon Mullins pulled up from 35 feet, season on the line, just a few seconds to go, he probably wasn’t thinking about where the shot he was about to launch might rank in UConn men’s basketball history.
In fact, for a brief moment, Mullins told ESPN, he thought it was for the tie.
“I’m going to be honest, I thought it was for the tie,” Mullins said. “In my head, I knew it was four seconds and I thought that was the best shot we could’ve gotten. That was the shot to shoot.”
But by the time it splashed through the net, one of the purest strokes you’ll ever see on a basketball court, sending the Huskies to an improbable third Final Four in four years just minutes from where he grew up, it was clear, his shot would be remembered forever.
The Mullins miracle joins these shots as some of the most iconic ever hit by UConn men’s basketball player. There are others– like Rashad Anderson to force OT against Washington in 2006, and Taliek Brown’s shot-clock buzzer beater against Pittsburgh in 2002. But here are our picks as the best of the best.
NCAA Tournament UConn men’s team ORG XMIT: GBC122
1998: Hamilton, At The Buzzer, Yes!
Picture this: 1998. Sweet 16. UConn has one of the best teams in its history, still chasing that elusive first-ever Final Four berth in men’s basketball. The Huskies are up against underdog and No. 11 seed Washington, and after a hard-fought battle, find themselves trailing by one with seconds to go.
Jake Voskhul gets the ball in the paint, and is bumped as he throws up a short jumper that rattles around every part of the rim before falling out. The ball is caromed out to Richard Hamilton, who comes streaking in from the top of the key to put up a runner—no good! And well, we’ll just let play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough take it from here.
“Hamilton–No! Another tip– no! HAMILTON, AT THE BUZZER, YES!! YES!! Connecticut wins!”
Huskies rushed Hamilton as he laid on the floor, arms in the air. Jim Calhoun is seen jumping up and down on the sidelines as Washington players lie on the floor in disbelief.
UConn would go on to lose to Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison and No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Elite Eight, but Hamilton’s shot will forever be remembered in Huskies lore.
2011: Kemba Walker Step-Back vs. Pitt
UConn was on the bubble entering the Big East tournament in 2011, at 9-9 in the league before a stirring run of five wins in five days at Madison Square Garden. The first two came pretty easily, 97-71 over DePaul and 79-62 over Georgetown, to set up a matchup between the 9th-seeded (in the Big East) Huskies and top seed Pittsburgh. The game was tied at 74 with 10 seconds left when Jamal Coombs-McDaniel set a screen up top, giving Kemba Walker a mismatch on Pitt big Gary McGhee. Kemba knew exactly what to do from there.
He hit McGhee with a right-to-left crossover, stopped, hesitated, then went left before hitting an ankle-breaking step back that gave him all the space he needed. McGhee was sent hurtling to the floor while Walker pulled up, shot it and drained an 18-footer, all-net.
ESPN’s Dave Pasch described it this way: “The step back… Walker… CARDIAC KEMBA does it again, and UConn wins at the buzzer!!”
1990: Tate George ‘The Shot’
The 1989-90 campaign is referred to by many as “The Dream Season,” and for a number of reasons. Coming on the heels of their first Big East title, Jim Calhoun’s Huskies were named a No. 1 seed for the first time. They breezed through their first two games in Hartford, defeating Boston U. and Cal by a combined 44 points.
Then came a Sweet 16 matchup against a tough Clemson team, the No. 5 seed in the region. The Huskies pulled out to a 38-29 halftime lead at the Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey, but the Tigers fought back to lead by a point with one second left.
Even the most casual UConn fan knows what happened next. Former All-State high school quarterback Scott Burrell heaved the ball the length of the court and into the waiting hands of Tate George, who caught and shot in one motion and UConn, with a 71-70 win, was headed to the regional finals, a game away from the Final Four.
The Courant’s headline the next day simply read: “It’s Late, It’s Tate, It’s Great.”
“I think that’s the highest I’ve ever jumped,” Calhoun said after the game. “Never mind being young, old or indifferent.” Despite losing to Duke two days later, the program was on its way.
2016: Jalen Adams’ full-court buzzer beater
This one didn’t have quite the same importance– it was in the conference tournament, not the NCAAs, and the Huskies ended up losing as a No. 9 seed in the second round anyway– but it was so preposterous, so ridiculous that it warrants mention here. After Kevin Johnson appeared to hit a game-winning shot for Cincinnati with just 0.8 seconds to go in triple overtime of UConn’s quarterfinal with the Bearcats, the Huskies were left with just one last-ditch effort, from near full court.
Adams received the inbounds pass, took a step and launched from just a step outside the opposite three-point line … and banked it in as the buzzer sounded for one of the most astounding game-tying shots you’ll ever see.
“This one’s good if it goes,” said ESPN’s play-by-play announcer Mike Patrick.
“Oh, it did!” exclaimed broadcast partner Len Elmore.
UConn would go on to win in quadruple overtime, 104-97, and then win two more games in two days to clinch a spot in the NCAAs.
