SAN ANTONIO — The Duke locker room was shrouded in silence as the Blue Devils struggled to process their stunning 70-67 loss to Houston in the Final Four. A six-point lead with 35 seconds remaining had vanished in a mere 33 seconds, leaving players stunned and coaches reeling.
The turning point came on a crucial sequence of plays involving Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg. Despite having several chances to seal the game, Flagg’s missed 12-foot jumper will be replayed for years to come. The shot caromed off the front rim as Flagg pulled up from inside the lane and faded away from Houston’s J’Wan Roberts.
Flagg later admitted that he was willing to live with the play, which Coach Mike Krzyzewski had drawn up. However, another crucial foul by Flagg on Roberts in the final seconds sealed Duke’s fate. The foul put Houston ahead by one point, and the Cougars took control of the game from there.
Houston’s coach Kelvin Sampson praised his team’s discipline, saying “Discipline gets you beat more than great helps you win.” His son Kellen summed up the moment with a fitting phrase: “A big-time free throw blockout was exactly what was needed.”
For Duke, the loss marks the program’s fifth-biggest lead in Final Four history. Coach Jon Scheyer vowed to learn from the defeat, saying “We just have to finish the deal.” The Blue Devils will carry the weight of this crushing loss into the offseason, a harsh reminder that sometimes great talent isn’t enough.
Source: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/44555136/for-duke-stunned-silence-epic-collapse-final-four