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SAN ANTONIO — Jon Scheyer, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel stepped onto the press conference stage at 12:40 a.m. ET, staring straight ahead in stunned silence before trying to break down what happened in Duke basketball’s shocking loss to Houston.
The Blue Devils will remember the Alamodome, where the Cougars took advantage of an epic collapse to deal Duke a season-ending defeat at the Final Four on Saturday night.
The Devils (35-4) were up 14 with 8:15 left, nine with 2:15 on the clock and seven with 1:15 remaining, their sights set on playing for the chance to snag a sixth national championship.
“It's been a special ride that ended in a heartbreaking way,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer, whose team was outscored 25-8 in the final 8:17.
BREAKING IT DOWN: How did Duke collapse vs Houston in Final Four? Scoring drought, foul contributed
PHOTOS: Cooper Flagg and Duke basketball's Final Four matchup against Houston
Down six with 47 seconds left, Houston (35-4) scored the final nine points of the game. In the last 30 seconds, Duke had a turnover, missed the front end of a one-and-one at the free-throw line, committed a foul and saw Cooper Flagg come up short on a potential go-ahead jumper in the paint with eight seconds left.
“A shot I'm willing to live with in the scenario,” said Flagg, who had 27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals in his final game at Duke.
Duke’s inability to get a rebound or complete an inbounds pass contributed to the late-game collapse. The Blue Devils lost the rebounding battle in three of their four defeats, getting beat on the boards by 11 against Houston, 13 against Clemson and six against Kansas.
The Devils didn't snag a rebound in the final 3:24 against the Cougars. Khaman Maluach, Duke's 7-foot-2 center, didn't get a rebound in 21 minutes on the court. Duke made one shot in the final 10 ½ minutes.
When asked if he felt a shift of momentum at any moment against the Cougars, Duke guard Sion James said, “no, not at all.” The Blue Devils had it, until they didn't.
“I thought we were going to win the game to the last minute,” James said, “to the last second.”
The somber scene around the locker room told the story. Several players had towels over their heads, including Tyrese Proctor, who answered questions in a low, muffled voice. Fan-favorite Spencer Hubbard was crying as he walked out of the locker room and Flagg teared up at the press conference when a reporter asked him about the season as a whole.
“Didn't end the way we wanted it to,” Flagg said. “But still an incredible year.”
An incredible year that included a sweep of the ACC championships and a Final Four appearance, but one that finishes with this Duke team carrying the infamous tag as one of Blue Devils' best to not win a national title.
Aside from Scheyer, James answered the most questions about Duke’s stunning end to the season. The Devils coughed up the fifth-biggest lead in Final Four history. After winning 15 in a row, losing one game since Thanksgiving week, Duke will head back to Durham before Houston and Florida play for the national championship.
“Duke is a special place and Duke fans are special,” James said. “It breaks our heart that we couldn’t bring (championship) No. 6 back for them.”
Once the press conferences ended, Scheyer, Flagg and Knueppel took golf carts back to the Duke locker room. It was the final ride on a night the Blue Devils won’t forget for all the wrong reasons.
“You go from some of the most special moments in the tournament to the most heartbreaking loss. I'm not about to feel sorry for one second. These guys have done an incredible job,” Scheyer said.
“It's heartbreaking. It's incredibly disappointing. There's a lot of pain that comes with this. That's what the tournament is all about. You're an inch away from the national championship game.”
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cooper Flagg, Duke basketball explain 'heartbreaking' loss to Houston in Final Four
Continue reading...
The Blue Devils will remember the Alamodome, where the Cougars took advantage of an epic collapse to deal Duke a season-ending defeat at the Final Four on Saturday night.
The Devils (35-4) were up 14 with 8:15 left, nine with 2:15 on the clock and seven with 1:15 remaining, their sights set on playing for the chance to snag a sixth national championship.
“It's been a special ride that ended in a heartbreaking way,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer, whose team was outscored 25-8 in the final 8:17.
BREAKING IT DOWN: How did Duke collapse vs Houston in Final Four? Scoring drought, foul contributed
PHOTOS: Cooper Flagg and Duke basketball's Final Four matchup against Houston
Down six with 47 seconds left, Houston (35-4) scored the final nine points of the game. In the last 30 seconds, Duke had a turnover, missed the front end of a one-and-one at the free-throw line, committed a foul and saw Cooper Flagg come up short on a potential go-ahead jumper in the paint with eight seconds left.
“A shot I'm willing to live with in the scenario,” said Flagg, who had 27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals in his final game at Duke.
Duke’s inability to get a rebound or complete an inbounds pass contributed to the late-game collapse. The Blue Devils lost the rebounding battle in three of their four defeats, getting beat on the boards by 11 against Houston, 13 against Clemson and six against Kansas.
The Devils didn't snag a rebound in the final 3:24 against the Cougars. Khaman Maluach, Duke's 7-foot-2 center, didn't get a rebound in 21 minutes on the court. Duke made one shot in the final 10 ½ minutes.
When asked if he felt a shift of momentum at any moment against the Cougars, Duke guard Sion James said, “no, not at all.” The Blue Devils had it, until they didn't.
“I thought we were going to win the game to the last minute,” James said, “to the last second.”
The somber scene around the locker room told the story. Several players had towels over their heads, including Tyrese Proctor, who answered questions in a low, muffled voice. Fan-favorite Spencer Hubbard was crying as he walked out of the locker room and Flagg teared up at the press conference when a reporter asked him about the season as a whole.
“Didn't end the way we wanted it to,” Flagg said. “But still an incredible year.”
An incredible year that included a sweep of the ACC championships and a Final Four appearance, but one that finishes with this Duke team carrying the infamous tag as one of Blue Devils' best to not win a national title.
Aside from Scheyer, James answered the most questions about Duke’s stunning end to the season. The Devils coughed up the fifth-biggest lead in Final Four history. After winning 15 in a row, losing one game since Thanksgiving week, Duke will head back to Durham before Houston and Florida play for the national championship.
“Duke is a special place and Duke fans are special,” James said. “It breaks our heart that we couldn’t bring (championship) No. 6 back for them.”
Once the press conferences ended, Scheyer, Flagg and Knueppel took golf carts back to the Duke locker room. It was the final ride on a night the Blue Devils won’t forget for all the wrong reasons.
“You go from some of the most special moments in the tournament to the most heartbreaking loss. I'm not about to feel sorry for one second. These guys have done an incredible job,” Scheyer said.
“It's heartbreaking. It's incredibly disappointing. There's a lot of pain that comes with this. That's what the tournament is all about. You're an inch away from the national championship game.”
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cooper Flagg, Duke basketball explain 'heartbreaking' loss to Houston in Final Four
Continue reading...
