John Fanta
College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter
Everything signaled the coronation of Jon Scheyer and Cooper Flagg fulfilling their legacy. When Duke held Alabama’s high-scoring offense scoreless for five minutes and went on a 13-0 run in New Jersey to clinch a ticket to the Final Four, the Blue Devils looked every bit the part of the best team in the country.
And for 32 minutes on Saturday night inside the Alamodome, there was nothing that could have suggested that Duke was going to lose the national semifinal to Houston. Flagg was the best player on the floor, going for 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals.
The Blue Devils were up by 14, shooting roughly 40% from 3-point territory with at least half of the crowd in their favor, three NBA Draft lottery picks, and a defense that was playing about as well as any team in America.
How did Duke lose that game?
It’s a question that every single Duke fan has to be asking right now. But Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said it best on Saturday night:
“Cooper Flagg was not going to beat us by himself,” Sampson said of Duke’s star freshman. “I felt like if we could just hang in there, even when we were down 14, these guys will tell you what I was talking about in the huddle: Just hang in there, hang in there.”
Only one college basketball team could have won back in January when they were down six with nine seconds to play against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. That same team just so happened to be the only one that had a shot – 2% according to advanced stats with live betting odds at +8000 with nine minutes on the clock – to pull off what we all witnessed on Saturday night: the Houston Cougars.
The best part about Houston’s improbable comeback win over mighty Duke? It was a complete team effort, whether it was Emanuel Sharp burying a triple to cut the lead to three, or L.J. Cryer scoring 26 points, or J’Wan Roberts knocking down two clutch free throws after shooting just 63% from the line this season.
This Houston team deserves all the credit for the win. There’s a reason why Sampson is 160-23 in his last 183 games as a head coach and why the Cougars can win their first national championship in school history on Monday night.
But one could not watch Saturday night’s thrilling Final Four matchup between the Cougars and Blue Devils and not think that it was one of the all-time collapses in NCAA Tournament history. Yes, Duke is a team that relies heavily on a trio of freshmen, but Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach have been beyond their years in maturity. A team with that much talent, to be up 14 with eight minutes remaining, and then up seven with 1:26 left, and to lose it in the end, feels near impossible.
This loss will hang with Scheyer forever. Will it define him? No.
Scheyer has emerged as one of the best coaches in the sport, and his path to redemption is going to be a top headline until he exercises the demons. But this is now part of his journey.
To suggest Duke’s collapse on Saturday night was a first-of-its-kind result would be shortsighted, but it was among the most shocking finishes in NCAA Tournament history.
Jay Wright dealt with this. There was a time when some Villanova people wanted him fired. He’s now considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport. Tony Bennett was scrutinized to no end in 2018 when his Virginia team lost to UMBC. One year later, he led the Cavaliers to a national championship. People questioned Matt Painter to no end, and last year, he led the Boilermakers to the national title game. Dan Hurley lost to Teddy Allen and New Mexico State in 2022 and then, the following two years, the Huskies absolutely dominated the sport.
There have been countless heartbreaking losses in college basketball. The best coaches remember them more because that’s how they’re wired, and Scheyer, the Glenbrook North High School legend out of Illinois who went on and had a remarkable playing career at Duke before working for Krzyzewski and becoming his successor, is a relentless competitor.
Duke’s stunning loss serves as a reminder that anything can happen in the NCAA Tournament. That’s why we love this event. In a year when fans were clamoring for more upsets, they were treated to a pair of instant classics on Saturday, proving this Final Four was well worth the wait.
Will the heartbreaking fashion in which this loss occurred linger for this Duke program? Yes. Will Scheyer likely be second-guessing his coaching moves on the plane ride back to Durham? Yes.
The magic of the tournament doesn’t take away from the pain for Flagg, who had the chance to knock down a game-winner, but instead came up short and didn’t fulfill his college mission. Flagg will be just fine and will have a long NBA career. But at Duke, you’re judged by rings. That’s why they are the standard brand in the sport.
Scheyer has proven he was the right man to replace Krzyzewski, but a year after losing to fellow ACC in-state foe NC State in the Elite Eight, losing this way, with a spot in the national championship on the line, is even more brutal than the last.
Scheyer can’t let this loss define him. He has the No. 1-ranked recruiting class coming in next year, headlined by Cameron and Cayden Boozer. This will sting, but it’s important for Scheyer to have a short memory, because at Duke, the standards will always remain the same: It’s all about what you’ve done lately. And until Scheyer flips the page to the 2025-26 season, and until he gets that next signature win in this tournament, this is a collapse that is too poignant not to leave a stain.
For Duke and its fans, Saturday was a nightmare they could have never predicted coming to fruition. It’s a game they will want to forget in every way, but it won’t be easy to do so. After such a rewarding year filled with countless memorable moments, it all came to a shocking end on Saturday. Because for Scheyer and the Blue Devils, this is the one that got away to an agonizing degree.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
College Basketball
Get more from College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
