A Town Called Mullins: How One Shot Made a Small Indiana City Lose Its Mind
Greenfield, Indiana (population: roughly 25,000) is about to have the best weekend of its life. And it's all because one UConn freshman hit a dagger three-pointer with less than half a second on the clock to send Duke packing and bring the Huskies to the Final Four. His name is Braylon Mullins, and he just became the latest legend in a state that has forgotten more about basketball than most places will ever know.
Indiana Does Not Do Subtle
Let's be clear about something: Indiana loves basketball the way other states love barbecue or coffee. The state airport literally has a Bobby Knight exhibit in the terminal. The high school coaches still talk about Larry Bird and Damon Bailey and Bobby Plump like they played last season. And the small towns? They live and breathe March basketball.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiLuke Meredith, Mullins' high school coach, said it best while walking out of Lucas Oil Stadium after watching the Final Four practice sessions: "In 49 states, it's just basketball. But this is Indiana." About 25,000 people showed up to watch ceremonial practices. Some came for Illinois products like Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous of tiny Tipton (40 miles north of Indianapolis). Others were there for UConn's freshman student manager Jack Richason of Carmel. But the loudest cheer? That was for Mullins.
One Shot Changes Everything in a Small Town
Greenfield sits 27 miles east of Lucas Oil Stadium, and this weekend the entire town is heading down U.S. Highway 40, the same Historic National Road that inspired the movie "Hoosiers." The bus from that film is parked in Greenfield. So is the 1951 Chevy coupe driven by Gene Hackman. Both are ready to roll.
When UConn head coach Dan Hurley and assistant Luke Murray were recruiting Mullins, they made Meredith a promise: "We're going to bring him back to Indiana for the Final Four next year." Mullins hit that shot. The promise came true. And now Greenfield is about to show the country exactly why small-town Indiana basketball is different.
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