SAN ANTONIO — Houston’s suffocating protection wiped away a 14-point deficit over the ultimate eight minutes and erased Cooper Flagg and Duke’s title hopes Saturday night time in a 70-67 stunner over the Blue Devils on the Ultimate 4.
Duke made a grand complete of 1 area purpose over the past 10 1/2 minutes of this recreation. The second-to-last try throughout its game-ending 1-for-9 stretch was a step-back jumper within the lane by Flagg that J’Wan Roberts disrupted. The final was a desperation heave by Tyrese Proctor that caught nothing on the buzzer.
It was Roberts’ two free throws with 19.6 seconds left that gave the Cougars their first lead since 6-5. LJ Cryer, who led Houston with 26 factors, made two extra to push the result in three. It was Houston’s greatest lead of the night time.
“Nobody ever loses at something so long as you don’t give up,” coach Kelvin Sampson stated. “For those who give up, you’ve misplaced.”
The Cougars (35-4), who’ve by no means received a title, not even within the days of Phi Slama Jamma, will play Florida on Monday night time for the championship.
Florida’s 79-73 win over Auburn within the early recreation was a free-flowing hoopsfest. This one would’ve seemed excellent on a cracked blacktop and a court docket with chain-link nets.
That’s simply how Houston likes it. It closed the sport on a 9-0 run over the ultimate 74 seconds, and although Flagg completed with 27 factors, he did it on 8-for-19 capturing and by no means received take care of his 3 on the 3:02 mark put the Blue Devils (35-4) up by 9.
It seemed over at that time. Houston was simply getting began.
“We had a sense that we may nonetheless win this recreation,” Roberts stated.
A crew that prides itself on getting three stops in a row — calling the third one the “kill cease” — allowed a measly three free throws down the stretch. One got here when Joseph Tugler received a technical for batting the ball from a Duke participant’s hand as he was making an attempt to throw an inbounds go.
That didn’t make it any higher for Duke.
On the possession following the technical, Tugler rejected Kon Knueppel (16 factors), then Emanuel Sharp (16 factors) made a 3 to chop the deficit to 3.
Mylik Wilson stole the subsequent inbounds go and missed a game-tying 3, however Tugler tipped it in to chop the deficit to at least one.
Proctor missed the entrance finish of a 1-and-1 with 20 seconds left to set the stage for the Roberts free throws.
Duke’s gradual stroll off the court docket got here via a phalanx of Houston followers who waved goodbye to Flagg, who will possible be off to the NBA as the primary choose within the draft.
Houston completed with six steals and 6 blocked pictures, together with 4 from Tugler, who may be the very best shot blocker this program has seen since Hakeem Olajuwon, who was available on the Alamodome to see this system’s first journey to the ultimate since 1984.
Massive win for AI
The massive comeback additionally netted a $1 million win for synthetic intelligence. An AI disruptor guess knowledgeable gambler that his program may do a greater March Insanity bracket, and all of it got here right down to the Duke-Houston recreation.
Even when the Houston loses within the last, the AI bracket will get extra factors within the contest and the disruptor, Alan Levy, will pocket the million.
