WASHINGTON — For a moment, he almost held it together.

Almost.

But then the bloodshot eyes started to water, again. The deep voice, cracking with every word.

“I ruined our team’s season,” Cayden Boozer finally choked out. “That’s the best I can put it.”

And though Boozer is certainly not solely responsible for Duke’s latest stunning postseason collapse — a 73-72 meltdown to No. 2 UConn in Sunday’s Elite Eight — his turnover with six seconds left will endure forever as one of the all-time bungles in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

The final, fatal mistake in another epic Blue Devils collapse.

With top-seeded Duke leading 72-70 with six seconds left, all the 6-foot-4 freshman needed to do was hold the ball and get fouled. Yet he didn’t. Instead, he elevated and went for the home-run pass, a heave over two UConn defenders at midcourt. But UConn guard Silas Demary Jr. tipped it, and the Huskies recovered — and then the nightmare hit full throttle.

Alex Karaban — already a two-time national champion — throwing a pass back to UConn freshman Braylon Mullins.

Mullins, lining up a prayer from the penultimate “S” in the midcourt MARCH MADNESS logo.

A long parabola, time seemingly stopped — and then the swish of the ball through the net, inaudible as thousands of UConn fans roared to life inside Capital One Arena.

Writing it a second time makes it no more believable, and no less painful for the Blue Devils, whose postseason ends with an all-time crumble for the second straight March.

“We just have to secure it, right? We got it,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said postgame. “They had a foul. I was ready for a timeout. We’ve just got to hold on.”

But Duke didn’t, instead becoming the first No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history to lose after leading by at least 15 at the half. For Scheyer, it is another unthinkable defeat snatched from victory, and one that will follow him for the remainder of his career.

Houston last season.

Now UConn.

Two championship-caliber teams, both led by generational freshman stars — and two groups that will never have the chance to play for the national championship.

Back in Duke’s locker room, Cayden Boozer clenched his hands on top of a towel draped across his knees.

How are you feeling right now, Cayden?

Until then, he’d held it together.

Then the dam burst.

“Terrible.”

This story will be updated.