Houston completes epic comeback over Duke in Final Four

Reminder – we are still in March Madness.

Houston completed a valiant comeback against Duke to earn their trip to the national championship against Florida.

Cooper Flagg, the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft if he decided to leave, missed a potential game-winning shot with less than eight seconds left, and the Cougars escaped with a 70-67 win.

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Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) and Duke Blue Devils guard Tyrese Proctor (5) react against the Houston Cougars in the semifinals of the men’s Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.  (Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images)

Duke led by as many as 12 in the first half, but Houston was able to cut it to six, as neither team got it quite going offensively.

But the second half was all Duke early on. As the Blue Devils got out to a game-high 14-point lead, Houston had a span where they missed seven of their eight shots.

After that, though, Houston went on an 10-0 run to cut it back down to six with just under five minutes to go, as Duke went on a seven-plus-minute stretch of not hitting a shot. But, the Wooden Award winner Flagg drained a three with just over three minutes to go to make it a nine-point game.

J’Wan Roberts #13 and Mylik Wilson #8 of the Houston Cougars react during the second half in the Final Four game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against the Duke Blue Devils at the Alamodome on April 05, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas.  (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

FORMER NBA STAR WHO WENT FIRST OVERALL SAYS COOPER FLAGG SHOULD RETURN TO DUKE

The Cougars were not out, though – in fact, they went on an 11-1 over the final 1:14 to end it.

Houston’s Emanuel Sharp knocked down a three with 32.4 seconds left to cut their deficit to three points. Then, off the inbound, Duke turned the ball over, and Houston got a putback dunk to make it a one-point game.

Duke’s Tyrese Proctor then missed a one-and-one, and an over-the-back foul on Flagg brought Houston to the line. J’Wan Roberts hit both to take the lead.

After Flagg missed a shot that would have given Duke a lead with less than 10 seconds left, Duke fouled, and L.J. Cryer knocked down both free throws to go up three points. Duke missed a final shot at the buzzer that would have sent them to overtime, sending Duke to the national title game.

Houston scored eight points in the final 33 seconds to Duke’s zero to complete the wild comeback.

Duke Blue Devils guard Sion James (14) grabs a rebound against Houston Cougars guard Terrance Arceneaux (23) during the second half in the semifinals of the men’s Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at Alamodome.  (Scott Wachter-Imagn Images)

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The two teams shared the longest winning streaks in the NCAA entering the contest – Houston’s is now at 18, while Duke’s was snapped at 15.

Flagg finished with a game-high 27 points, but his possible last shot in a Duke uniform will be one he’d like to soon forget.

Houston faces Florida on Friday night for the national title.

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