New angle of UConn dagger shows a fatal Jon Scheyer mistake that sunk Duke

Well, you might want to rethink any vitriol and blame you might have thrown toward freshman guard Cayden Boozer for his ill-fated pass that led to Braylon Mullins' dagger 35-foot three-pointer.

A new angle of the Duke bench makes it obvious that Boozer was just executing Jon Scheyer's gameplan.

It's obvious in the video that Scheyer is instructing Dame Sarr to pass it ahead to Boozer, and then, after initially calling for the freshman point guard to hold the ball, points his arm forward for Boozer to kick it ahead to a wide open Patrick Ngongba and Isaiah Evans, who were alone in the frontcourt for what would have been the game-sealing dunk or layup.

Instead, UConn deflected the pass, Mullins fired up the shot, and the rest is history. And another brutal end to the NCAA Tournament for the Blue Devils for a second consecutive season.

Jon Scheyer instructed Cayden Boozer's ill-fated pass that led to Duke's fatal turnover

Boozer was just doing what he's been coached to do in that situation. That's something that Duke has obviously practiced this year, and Scheyer's arm movement from the bench proves it.

So stop blaming the freshman for trying to execute what he was coached to do.

The loss falls squarely at the feet of Scheyer. Not just for the ill-fated attempt to get the ball forward instead of mitigating risk by holding it and accepting a foul. It was the entire second-half collapse that put the Blue Devils in the position where a single late turnover could swing the game in UConn's favor.

It was the same story a year ago in the Final Four against Houston. A story that Duke fans are sick of watching play out over and over again.

Scheyer will need to take a long look in the mirror this offseason and reassess his late-game priorities, along with figuring out a way to get his team to execute in pressure-packed situations.