NCAA Tournament FINAL: Houston 70 Duke 67; the Blue Devils suffer one of the all-time late collapses after leading 64-55 with 3:03 to play.
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. It reeled off a 10-0 run late in the second half to cut a 59-45 deficit to four points. Houston 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.
Frantic finish sends Houston to national title game
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 Emanuel Sharp 3-pointer on the other end that cut Duke’s lead to 67-64 with 33 seconds left.
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Houston then forced a turnover on an inbounds pass under its basket, leading to a Joseph Tugler put-back dunk that cut Duke’s lead to 67-66.
Duke’s Tyrese Proctor then missed the front end of a 1-and-1 on the other end, and Flagg got whistled for a loose ball foul on the rebound, sending J’Wan Roberts to the free throw line with a 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.
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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 then fouled L.J. Cryer with 3.7 seconds remaining, and Cryer hit both free throws on the other end.
Proctor had a look at a desperation heave after Cryer’s free throws, but it sailed over the backboard as the final buzzer sounded.
In the end, Duke made just one field goal in the game’s final 10:31. Flagg hit a jumper at the 10:31 mark to extend Duke’s lead to 58-45. His 3-pointer with 3:03 remaining temporarily stunted the Houston rally for a 64-55 Duke advantage. But Duke ultimately couldn’t find enough offense down the stretch against the nation’s best defense.
(Jamie Squire via Getty Images)
Shocking collapse for title favorites
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 and 8:17 remaining. Flagg appeared on his way to capping his college career in the national title game 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 Flagg’s late foul of Roberts opened the door for Houston to take the lead.
His late miss on the other end prevented Duke from retaking the lead with eight seconds remaining.
Flagg is widely expected to leave for the NBA, where he’ll be the presumptive No. 1 pick in the draft in June. He’ll do so with multiple National Player of the Year awards, capping one of the greatest freshman seasons in the history of college basketball. But his college career comes to a likely end two wins short of a national championship.
Instead, Houston has a chance to secure its first national championship after its seventh trip to the Final Four.
(Jamie Squire via Getty Images)
L.J. Cryer leads way for Houston
Houston’s own All-American, L.J. Cryer, was its hero for much of the game. As Houston got off to a frigid 3-of-16 start from the field, Cryer was Houston’s only reliable source of offense.
He finished the first half with 12 points and three rebounds while shooting 4 of 7 from the field, including 3 of 5 from deep. The rest of Houston’s starting lineup shot a combined 4 of 16 from the field as Duke opened a 34-28 halftime edge.
As Duke pulled away early in the second half, Cryer continued to answer to keep Houston within striking distance. He hit two more 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the half. Then, during a 48-second stretch late in the half, Cryer went on a personal 6-0 run to cut Duke’s lead to 59-51 with 7:43 remaining.
LJ Cryer continues to light it up
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His late free throws then iced the win.
Cryer finished the game with 26 points and five rebounds. He shot 8 of 14 from the field, including a 6-of-9 effort from 3-point distance.
In the end, Cryer’s teammates joined him on offense to spark the rally. Sharp finished with 16 points while shooting 3 of 7 from 3. Roberts posted 11 points and 12 rebounds as the Cougars secured a 42-31 edge on the glass. Houston ended the game shooting 37.7% from the field.
It ultimately has its 3-point shooting and a defense that ranks first in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency to thank for securing the win. Houston finished the game shooting 10 of 22 (45.5%) from 3-point distance.
And it limited Duke to 39.6% shooting from the field while holding the Blue Devils below 70 points for just the fourth time in 39 games. In the other three games below 70, Duke’s defense was good enough to secure a win.
But on Saturday, Houston picked up its 18th consecutive win. It advances to Monday’s title game to face another hot team in Florida that won the SEC tournament and defeated fellow No. 1 seed Auburn in Saturday’s other national semifinal.
