SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – APRIL 05: J’Wan Roberts #13 of the Houston Cougars reacts during the first half in the Final Four game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against the Duke Blue Devils at the Alamodome on April 05, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(Jamie Squire via Getty Images)
For 30 minutes on Saturday, Duke looked well on its way to the national title game and a chance to cap Cooper Flagg’s historic freshman season with a championship.
But Houston had other ideas. The Cougars reeled off a 10-0 run late in the second half to cut a 59-45 deficit to four points. It then ended the game with a 15-3 flurry to secure a 70-67 stunner and advance to Monday’s national title game against Florida.
Duke appeared to be in control with a 67-61 lead and possession of the ball with 1:14 remaining. But a missed Kon Knueppel layup led to an Emmanuel Sharp 3-pointer on the other end that cut Duke’s lead to 67-64 with 33 seconds left.
Houston then forced a turnover on an inbounds pass under its basket, leading to a Joeph Tugler dunk that cut Duke’s lead to 67-66.
Duke’s Tyrese Proctor then missed the front end of a one-and-one on the other end, and Cooper Flagg got whistled for a loose ball foul on the rebound, sending J’Wan Roberts to the free throw line with chance to take the lead. Roberts hit both shots to give Houston a 68-67 lead with 19.6 remaining, extending Houston’s run to 13-3.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Flagg had a look at a go-ahead jumper on Duke’s next possession. But it bounced off the front of the rim. Mylik Wilson secured the rebound for Houston. Duke fouled L.J. Cryer with 3.7 seconds remaining, and Cryer hit both free throws on the other end to ice the Houston win.
It added up to a stunning collapse for a Duke team pegged as the championship favorite that was in control of the game with a 14-point lead with 8:17 remaining. Flagg was well on his way to his coronation with a dominant effort on both sides of the floor.
He finished the game with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals, scoring 19 of his points after halftime as Duke appeared to be in control of the game. But his college career comes to a likely end two wins short of a national championship. His late foul of Roberts opened the door for Houston to take the lead. His late miss on the other end prevented Duke from re-taking the lead with eight seconds remaining.
