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What looked like a smooth path to the national championship turned into a full-blown collapse for Duke on Saturday night, as the Blue Devils fell to Houston, 70-67, in a Final Four thriller in San Antonio.
Duke led by as many as 14 points with 8:17 to play and held a seven-point advantage with under 90 seconds remaining, but Houston—true to its defensive and physical identity—rallied with a stunning 15-3 run to close the game. The Cougars secured their first trip to the national championship game since 1984, where they’ll face Florida on Monday.
Cooper Flagg, the freshman phenom and likely No. 1 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, had a chance to win it in the final seconds, but his turnaround jumper missed short. Tyrese Proctor’s three-point attempt at the buzzer clanked off the rim, sealing the win for Houston.
“I hear what people say. Duke this, Duke that. Duke’s great. Jon Scheyer is awesome,” Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said postgame. “But don’t sleep on Houston. We weren’t 34-4 playing in the Toy Poodle League.”
Duke blows the lead late, Houston advances to the National Championship
Flagg finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks in what will almost certainly be his final college game. Despite the impressive stat line, he and Duke were unable to stop the bleeding late as Houston’s L.J. Cryer torched them for 26 points, including six three-pointers.
Duke held the lead for nearly 35 minutes and appeared in control most of the game, but a series of missed shots and untimely turnovers doomed them. According to ESPN Research, the Blue Devils shot just 2-for-11 from the field in the final stretch with five turnovers. It was a meltdown of historic proportions—and fans across social media let them hear it.
“What a collapse by Duke. They had this one and just fell apart,” wrote @KeithSmithNBA.
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Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) was even more blunt: “Duke made one shot from the floor in the last 10:30 of the game. We'll live a long time and never see another meltdown of this magnitude. Inexcusable.”
AG (@AGHamilton29) echoed the disbelief, tweeting, “Duke completely choked down the stretch. Dominated the entire game and then just fell apart in the last 90 seconds.”
Others were more savage. “The nastiest choke in NCAA history. Lol,” said @DukeNBA.
And Barry Tealer (@BarryBucketz) summed it up with disbelief: “Duke blew a 6 point lead in 30 seconds???”
It was a bitter end to an otherwise impressive season for the Blue Devils, who had high hopes in their first Final Four appearance since Coach K’s retirement. But for all the accolades, talent, and hype, Duke couldn’t close the door.
As for Houston, they now have the chance to chase their first-ever national title on Monday night. For Duke and Cooper Flagg, it’s heartbreak—and a reminder that in March Madness, nothing is guaranteed.
