Braylon Mullins, Keaton Wagler join Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing on shortlist for impressive Final Four stat
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Braylon Mullins and Keaton Wagler just combined to do something that hasn’t been done since the 1982 championship game between North Carolina and Georgetown. The freshmen duo became just the second pair of newcomers on opposing teams to score 15+ points in a Final Four or national championship game since the legendary Micheal Jordan and Patrick Ewing.
Mullins even put the cherry on top with a 3-point dagger to send Illinois packing, which gave him exactly 15 points on the night. Wagler, who stars for Illinois, dropped a game-high 20 points with 8 rebounds.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, it was Mullins and the Huskies who ended up winning the day. As usual. Dan Hurley’s squad withstood a late push from Wagler and the Illini to take home a 71-62 win, advancing the Huskies to the national championship game for the 3rd time across the last 4 seasons.
While he didn’t lead the Huskies in points, Mullins’s hot start set the stage for UConn’s latest win. He scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half, helping the Huskies lead by 8 heading into the halftime break.
The freshman will be ever-so important on Monday night when the Huskies face off against one of Arizona or Michigan for a shot at UConn’s 7th national title since 1999.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
