March Madness 2026: How UConn's Braylon Mullins became a hometown hero - ESPN

GREENFIELD, Ind. — Sometimes stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason: because they are well-earned, accurate representations of a people. Texans love brisket. New Yorkers love F-bombs. And the folks in Indiana — especially John Mellencamp-serenaded «Well, I was born in a small town» folks of Indiana — they really, really love basketball. From Indianapolis, where the airport currently greets those arriving to town for the men's Final Four with an exhibition in the terminal of everyone from Bobby Knight and Butler to Wabash and Valparaiso, to a state map spotted with hamlets, villages and crossroads that have gifted us the likes of Larry Bird, Damon Bailey, Bobby Plump...

And now, Braylon Mullins.

«How's the saying go?» asks Luke Meredith, Mullins' high school coach, knowing that we know that he knows the answer. «In 49 states, it's just basketball… but this is Indiana.»

Meredith said those words as he was walking out of Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday afternoon, one of an estimated 25,000 people who showed up to watch this year's men's Final Four squads hold four largely ceremonial practice sessions. Many of them were there to see a pair of Illinois players — Indianapolis product Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous of tiny Tipton, Indiana, 40 miles north of the city — or UConn's freshman student manager, Jack Richason of Carmel.

But the biggest roar was reserved for Mullins. He who less than a week ago launched one of the most memorable shots in NCAA tournament history, a dagger 3-pointer with less than half a second remaining to torpedo Duke, send Connecticut to the Final Four, and bring Mullins back home to Indiana.

«When [UConn head coach] Dan Hurley was here recruiting Braylon, he was with [assistant] Luke Murray,» Meredith