Nestled just 30 minutes east of Indianapolis, the town of Greenfield, Indiana, has recently found a unique way to honor one of its local heroes. This community now proudly features two roads named after its most celebrated resident, reflecting the pride and excitement surrounding his achievements.

Among these newly christened paths, ‘Braylon Avenue’ and ‘Mullins Street’ stand as testaments to the town’s admiration. The permanence of these street names remains uncertain, but it’s undoubtedly hard to imagine any television in those nearby homes not tuned in to witness the 6-foot-6 freshman’s most pivotal basketball moment, especially in a state so passionate about the sport.

Braylon Mullins became a household name with his spectacular last-second shot against Duke, propelling the Connecticut Huskies forward. With the national stage set once more, the young athlete from Indiana aimed to deliver another stellar performance to guide UConn back to the championship game.

In a display of skill and determination, Mullins contributed 15 points and hit an impressive four three-pointers, matching the prowess shown in their Elite Eight victory. Tarris Reed, commanding the center position, led the Huskies with 17 points, further solidifying the team’s strength.

Now, the Connecticut Huskies are poised for their third championship appearance in four years, a feat not seen since Rick Pitino’s University of Kentucky teams dominated from 1996 to 1999. This remarkable achievement places UConn in the annals of NCAA history.

The Connecticut Huskies are heading back to the national championship after beating Illinois

Indiana native Braylon Mullins dropped a game high four triples to pull out a 71-62 victory

The Huskies built up a big enough lead to stave off damage from an Illinois comeback

The evening’s first matchup in Indianapolis revisited an earlier season clash held on Black Friday at Madison Square Garden. While the Huskies’ previous 13-point win hinted at their potential success, the game still promised the unpredictability and excitement that college basketball fans relish.

But both teams had players hampered by injury. Illinois saw minutes restrictions placed upon Jake Davis and promising freshman Keaton Wagler. 

Meanwhile, UConn saw only a combined 25 minutes from Reed and Mullins, the latter of whom made his debut in that game.

Much has changed since that afternoon in New York City. For Illinois, Davis carved himself out a tidy little role off the bench while Wagler became one of the best freshmen in the nation. 

On the other hand, Connecticut struggled in their conference schedule despite a strong start in their non-conference slate.

Come March, UConn’s struggles became manageable. Reed’s performances vaulted him into the same stratosphere as Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal. 

Mullins slowly built his strength and hit a purple patch late in the third month of the year – capped off by that buzzer-beater to get the Huskies this far.

By the time the two teams arrived at Lucas Oil Stadium, Illinois was declared the favorites despite UConn’s better pedigree and earlier win: ‘You’re coming into the game as an underdog versus a team that you beat by 13 points earlier in the season, which was kind of surprising,’ Hurley said after the game.

UConn coach Dan Hurley demands an explanation to a call from referee Ron Groover

Part of that was Illinois’ highly efficient offense, but there was also favorable geography. The Illini are close to Indianapolis and orange shirts dotted the stands throughout the building.

It didn’t have any affect on Connecticut at the start as the Huskies built up a nine point lead early. Reed was initially undeterred by the Illini’s sizable centers and Mullins’ shooting started with promise.

Illinois did eventually claw back to build a small lead, but at the half, the Huskies rode their center and their freshman to an eight point advantage. To that point, Illinois had shot a cold 21 percent from deep. 

Connecticut extended the lead up to eleven by the time of the first media timeout of the second half. To that point, Mullins had missed his first three attempts while Silas Demary Jr, Alex Karaban and Solo Ball logged points.

The lead remained double-digits with less than 12 minutes remaining, but the Huskies started to rack up misses and turnovers. 

UConn’s irascible coach, Dan Hurley, asked referees Paul Szelc and Marques Pettigrew for answers on missed calls – prompting Illinois fans to demand a technical foul.

Mullins’ hot start was followed by a cold spell. But a crucially timed triple clinched the victory.

UConn’s physical defense often leads to more foul calls than the average team. By the 8:41 mark, they committed ten team fouls to hit the double bonus. When they finally reduced the lead from double digits to eight points, Illinois committed their seventh team foul to put Connecticut in the single bonus. 

The Fighting Illini kept the game in reach down the stretch as time moved slowly for UConn and the shots didn’t fall. When Illinois trimmed the deficit to four points, the Huskies had gone 4:44 without scoring while the orange-clad men had scored ten straight points – mostly from free throws.

Connecticut fixed that quickly, but didn’t pull away by much. With 1:38 to go, Illinois trimmed the deficit to four. 

In need of an insurance basket, the Huskies hauled in an offensive rebound then turned to Mullins for a much-needed triple to extend the lead to seven. It would be the only shot he hit in the second half. ‘You’ve just got to shoot with confidence,’ Mullins said when asked by Daily Mail about his late game struggle.

‘Just trying to find the best look on the floor and I know our point guards are going to get us the ball, so I think that was the biggest shot I hit tonight.’

Mullins (24) and Hurley celebrate with UConn fans after booking a spot in the title game

Wagler responded with a quick 3-pointer of his own. An Illini foul sent Demary to the line where the North Carolina native sank both shots to build the lead to six. Wagler’s desperation triple missed and UConn rebounded. More foul shots followed, more Illinois shots missed. The horn sounded and the Huskies returned to a place where they’ve become comfortable.

Mullins and Hurley butted heads, a nod to the coach’s interaction with an official, leading to a chorus of boo’s from Illinois fans.

After the game, Hurley was unapologetic: ‘Just couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how hard they fought when most people probably didn’t think we were going to win the game, or at least a little bit of what I saw on TV today, you know, TNT and some of the different prognostications.’

‘I had to throw some shade.’