Duke’s coronation was all but written late in the second half against Houston in the 2025 men’s Final Four. The Blue Devils led by 14 points with just over eight minutes left, putting the program on the doorstep of the national championship game. Duke’s talent advantage was overwhelming: Cooper Flagg was living up to the generational hype with a brilliant performance, Kon Knueppel knocked down outside shots to show why he’s a lottery pick, and Khaman Maluach towered over everyone on the court to show why he’s one, too. Duke’s latest freshman super team was too good to fail.
Just as the first narratives for a potential Duke vs. Florida national championship game were starting to form, Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars went into overdrive. Houston was no slouch itself, a legit No. 1 seed and owners of the nation’s longest active winning streak. The Cougars relied on their defense as they’ve done so many times in the past, and somehow delivered a comeback for the ages to end Duke’s season and push them into the national title game.
Houston shocked Duke, 70-67, in one of the wildest Final Four endings in history. The Cougars held Duke to one field goal over the last 10:30 of regulation. A Houston team that doesn’t have any projected NBA draft picks just stole a national championship appearance from a Duke roster full of them.
This was Sampson’s masterclass, the culmination of a legendary career playing out on the biggest stage in the sport. Sampson and the Cougars stole this game with toughness, discipline, IQ, and an unbreakable resolve to continue executing even when the game seemed lost. On Monday night, Houston will face Florida in an attempt to win its first national championship in program history.
Sampson and his team deserve all the credit, but make no mistake: this was a collapse by Duke, and one that won’t be forgotten any time soon. Jon Scheyer had done such a great job leading a loaded Blue Devils roster to this point, but he’ll regret letting this opportunity slip through his hands. Sampson was just better.
Here’s how Houston stole the win from Duke, and forced the Blue Devils in a choke job to remember.
Houston’s defense was incredible in the last 10 minutes
Duke was on seven minute scoring drought late in the second half when Flagg drilled a three-pointer that put his team up nine points with 3:03 left. It was the first field goal Houston surrendered since a Flagg bucket at the 10:31 mark of the second half, and it was the last field goal Duke would get for the night.
Houston trailed by five with 1:14 left when big man Joseph Tugler was called for a technical foul for accidentally touching the ball as Duke was inbounding it. Knueppel knocked down the free throw, and Duke got the ball. Houston forced a stop, and Emanuel Sharp nailed a three-pointer on the other end. Suddenly, it was a one possession game.
Houston then put a full court press on Duke as it inbounded the ball under its own basket. Duke couldn’t get it in cleanly even after a timeout. Houston stole the ball, missed a three-pointer, but Tugler was there to hammer home a tip dunk. Duke’s lead with down to one.
Cooper Flagg was called for a controversial foul
Tyrese Proctor went to the foul line for Duke for a one-and-one with his team up one. Proctor missed the first free throw, and Flagg was called for an over-the-back foul on the rebound. Should this have been a foul?
Houston sent J’Wan Roberts, its sixth-year big man and heart-and-soul, to the foul line. Despite being a 62 percent free throw shooter, Roberts knocked down both to put Houston in front.
Flagg had one more chance to put Duke on top, but he came up short on a shot with Roberts defending.
Houston had no business winning this game
Houston is a fantastic team, but Duke’s talent advantage was evident from the moment the game tipped off. Duke was in control for most of the night. Houston cranked up the defensive intensity, made its free throws, and got enough breaks to somehow pull off the win.
The Cougars had a 9-0 run in the final 33 seconds.
Duke’s guards let them down. Sion James and Tyrese Proctor would like the last 10 minutes of that game back. Flagg also had so many shots that just didn’t fall in the second half. How did Maluach finish the game without a rebound as a 7’2 lottery pick going against Houston’s no-name front line of 6’8 guys?
This is a historic comeback for Houston in every way.
Houston was down 14 with 8:17 left in the second half.
That’s the largest second half comeback in the Final Four since Loyola Chicago came back from down 15 in 1963. pic.twitter.com/94lhxQ5eia
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) April 6, 2025
Scheyer and Duke will be haunted by letting this one slip away. They were only getting one chance with Flagg, and he somehow exceeded the hype throughout this season and this tournament run. It felt like the Blue Devils were the best team in the field, but they melted down when it mattered. This hurts every bit as much as the year Duke lost in the Elite Eight with Zion Williamson to Michigan State.
Kelvin Sampson did that. It’s still hard to believe Houston is going to the national championship game.
