San Antonio – The eyes were determined, the knees bowed down, Cooper Flag grabbed the ball on the wing and waited for the ideal moment to attack.
He had a chance to erase a bindu deficit, a chance to preserve the homage title of Duke, a chance to eradicate the memory of the collapse of a surprising late game.
First, the flag left and found J’Wan Roberts of Houston on his hip, but a help defender stepped into his way. Flag then withdrew Roberts down, rotated his left shoulder and used his closed hand to make some space. The short bridge-up jumper that Flag tried is that they have hit dozens of times this season. This time, he closed it from the front rim, sent houston fans to the red delrium position in Almodom and shattered his star-Laden Duke team and shown a shell-shoe.
After Duke’s last four defeats of 70-67, it was asked to describe the sequence, Flag said that Blue Devils executed the play head coach John Sheer.
“Took it in the paint, I felt that I had set my feet, got up,” Flag said. “Leave it clearly small, but this is a shot that I am ready to live in that scenario.”
Outside Duke’s locker room, Sheer presented similar views.
“For the rest of my life, I will not regret with number 2 with a six -foot ball from the basket,” he said.
When Duke saw the disadvantage of extinguishing the expectations of his national title, it would not be the miss of the flag that revives through his brain. They would blame the hurry of mistakes, which left Houston from 59–45 consecutive prodigation, left 3:03 with 64–55 and left with less than a minute to go with 67–61.
It started adequately adequately, here a blow box-out, there a dirty turnover. Houston did not bravely choose Calvin Sampson under six. Then Flag and Sion James made an important mistake. He misunderstood how to protect a ball screen on the upcoming occupation of Houston, which leaves the Emanuel Sharp Wide Open for a right-wing 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to three with 33 seconds.
“Once we kill that 3, there is now the pressure of the game,” Sampson said.
And Blue Devils, accustomed to being ahead of the 20-plus for so much this season, did not give a good answer.
Sampson placed Jojo Tughlar on a ball at the upcoming inbound pass, expecting Sofomore to use his 7 -foot -6 Wingspan to forces a turnover. Sampson took an oath that Houston should have received a five-second call before the Duke Timeout, except “the referee was counting so slow.”
Not to deny, Houston received a turnover anyway. Melic Wilson removed the floating inbound pass of Sion James for the flag. Later, Houston was within one on Tugler’s put-back sting.
While Duke inbound the ball next time, it only deteriorated from there. Not only did the Tierace Proctor recall the front end of 1-and-1, a whistle was given for a controversial over-the-back foul while trying to remove the flag from Roberts.
The foule line was sent by a fifth year senior, who made 51.1% of his free throw in the previous season, but has since been tireless to improve. Roberts says that he found himself on Saturday night as if he had shot for 150 free throw one night in preparation for moments.
Roberts confidently stepped on the free throw line.
Cane
Roberts gestured to the crowd to calm down and stepped back to the line of dishonesty.
Cane
Roberts later said, “To tell you the honest truth, going to the free-thro line, I was not really nervous at all that I caused the work I had kept.”
Only a few minutes ago, this was likely to end in the last four Duke coronation. The flag will be honored as a qualified national player of the year and an all-time great one-and-talent. Scheyer received his flowers originally to succeed Mike Crazizevsky. Con Conception, Khaman Maluch and Tieres Proctor will all leave Dukes as legends who played an important role in a title winning team.
When Roberts threw both free, those dreams began to flicker. Duke was one down, a major 35-win season decreased in the same drama.
April 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils Forward Cooper Flag (2) and Duke Blue Devils Guard Tieres Proctor (5) reacted against Houston Kugars in the final four semi -final men of the 2025 NCAA tournament in Almodom. Compulsory Credit: Robert Deut-Imagon Picture
(IMAGN images through Reuters Connect / Reuters)
Sheer called Timeout, as if there was a question where the ball was going. It was always going to be in the hands of the flag, the number 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft, this season, the Finomes leading the Duke in almost every major statistical category, which helped Blue Devils to make their lead against Houston by scoring the game-high 27 points.
“Everyone knew who is going to get it,” said Sampson. ,[J’Wan Roberts]I felt that he had done a terrible job to elevate his hands that it was not an easy form. ,
Second after Miss, Flag retreated in the middle-court and clapped his hands in hatred. He then pantomimated the bridge-up jumper, such as expecting against Hope for a do-over.
It never came.
Houston hit two free throw. The final possession of Duke’s final-GASP resulted in a tydrawal proctor waveward. And the flag destroyed the floor when Houston’s players celebrated in the background.
“Clearly, we did what we wanted to do,” Sheer said. “I felt that our people followed the game plan, controlled the game, we had an edge for 35 minutes, won by six. [1:15] To go.”
Asked to cover the season, Flag responded with tears in her eyes.
He said, “The way we wanted,” he said, “but still an incredible year.”