Another late collapse ends the season for a Duke team that looked good enough to win it all

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cayden Boozer tried to make one more pass that would seal the win for Duke.

It turned out to be a mistake that cost the Blue Devils their season.

Boozer's turnover in the final seconds led to Braylon Mullins' 3-pointer that gave UConn a 73-72 win over the top-seeded Blue Devils on Sunday. Duke had led by 19 points late in the first half, but it was another excruciating ending. Last year, the Blue Devils lost in the Final Four to Houston after leading by 14 in the second half and by six with 1:14 to play.

“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,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “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.”

Duke went 35-3 this season and wasn't that far from being undefeated. The three losses came by a combined five points. The others were 82-81 to Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20, when the Blue Devils had led by 17 in the second half, and 71-68 at North Carolina on Feb. 7 on Seth Trimble's 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left.

The same amount of time left after Mullins' shot Sunday.

Duke was up two when Boozer, being pressured near midcourt, tried to pass to one of two teammates who were open deep. The ball was deflected, and Mullins retrieved it seconds before making the winning shot.

No. 1 seeds entered Sunday 134-0 when leading by at least 15 points at the half. That number is now 134-1 after Duke was up 44-29 at the break.

Scheyer, who is 124-25 in four seasons since replacing Mike Krzyzewski, has the unfortunate habit of making his losses more and more memorable as time goes by. The former Duke guard, who won the 2010 national championship as a player, was at a bit of a loss for words following this defeat.

“There’s not a person in this room, including me, that doesn’t replay everything that you could do and how you can help. I mean, obviously. That’s part of being in this seat. That’s part of being in this spot,” Scheyer said. “End of the day, we’ve got to finish it off. We’ll reflect. We’ll learn.”

Duke is now expected to lose star Cameron Boozer — Cayden's twin brother — to the NBA.

Cameron Boozer, whose right eye was swollen as he sat glumly at the postgame lectern, finished with a game-high 27 points.

“I’m hurting right now,” he said. “We’re all hurting.”

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Duke guard Cayden Boozer sits in the locker room after their Elite Eight game of the NCAA college basketball tournament against UConn, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A Duke fan reacts in the final seconds during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against UConn, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

UConn guard Silas Demary Jr. (2) celebrates their win over Duke after the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Duke players react to their loss against UConn in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

MADRID (AP) — Álvaro Arbeloa confirmed what many soccer fans in Spain had taken for granted for weeks — he won’t be Real Madrid’s coach beyond the final game of the season on Saturday.

When asked in a press conference Friday if the game against Athletic Bilbao would be his last, Arbeloa said “yes.”

Arbeloa had been widely expected to be on his way out after he was unable to steer the team to a title this season following his promotion from the club’s reserve team in January to replace the fired Xabi Alonso.

Madrid lost to a second-division opponent in the Copa del Rey in Arbeloa’s debut. It then exited the Champions League quarterfinals to Bayern Munich, and will finish second in La Liga to Barcelona.

It was assumed that unless the team did spectacularly well under Arbeloa that he would be an interim coach until the club could find a better option in the offseason.

And so it is playing out, with Spanish media rife with reports that Madrid is seriously considering bringing back José Mourinho for a second stint 13 years after he coached the club.

Mourinho has coached Benfica this campaign but recently said he will decide his future soon.

Arbeloa, 43, said that he is will seek “new challenges” after having learned from his first major coaching job.

“I have already made the leap, improved greatly over these four months, and I feel prepared for new challenges,” Arbeloa said. “Starting Monday, I will think about them.”

Saturday will also be the last game for veteran defenders Dani Carvajal and David Alaba, whose contracts are about to expire.

Right back Carvajal, 34, has helped Madrid win six Champions League titles since 2013, while the 33-year-old Alaba contributed in two of those European Cup conquests since arriving in 2021.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa and Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick give instructions to the players, during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Real Madrid's head coach Alvaro Arbeloa prior the Spanish La Liga soccer match against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)