No. 1 seed Duke’s season ended in heartbreaking fashion with a 70-67 loss to No. 1 seed Houston in the Final Four. The Blue Devils led by as many as 14 points with just over eight minutes to play in regulation during Saturday’s national semifinal, but squandered their lead away down the stretch.
The loss ends Duke’s season and likely Cooper Flagg’s time with the program. Flagg, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is expected to be one-and-done after producing one of the best freshman campaigns in college basketball history.
Duke made just one field goal during the game’s final 10:30. The Cougars put together a relentless run down the stretch to take a late 68-67 lead in the final minute. Flagg missed a turnaround jumper that would’ve given his team the lead, and Houston knocked down free throws on the other end to seal one of the most improbable comebacks in NCAA Tournament history.
“We did what we wanted to do,” Scheyer said after the loss. “I thought our guys followed the game plan, controlled the game, we had the lead for 35 minutes, winning by six with a minute 15 to go. They made plays. You got to give ’em a ton of credit. We didn’t make those plays.”
Here is everything Scheyer and Flagg said after the season-ending loss to Houston.
Cooper Flagg
His season overview
Yeah, I mean, it was an incredible season. Incredible people, incredible relationships that I’m going to have for the rest of my life. Didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but still an incredible year (tearing up).
On the second-to-last possession
Yeah, I mean, it’s the play coach drew up. Took it into the paint. Thought I got my feet set, rose up. Left it short obviously. A shot I’m willing to live with in the scenario. I went up on the rim, trust the work that I’ve put in.
What he wishes he had done differently down the stretch
Just communication. I thought me and Sion messed up a switch. Got to get the ball inbounds, find whatever we got to do, find a way to get the ball inbounds. I think that was a big messed-up communication play between me and Sion that led to a big three.
Cooper Flagg has left the building: Duke superstar’s college career ends in devastating Final Four collapse
Isaac Trotter
What slowed him down down the stretch
I think Kon (Knueppel) said it really well. Got to give them a lot of credit for what they do every single night they play. Like he said, we could have been a little bit more sharp down the stretch executing some things. At the end of the day, you got to give them a lot of credit, as well.
This team’s legacy
Yeah, I would very similar. Just the connectivity of this team. I mean, I know I can speak for myself, I think the rest of the guys, that the connections and relationships we were able to have all year long, it was phenomenal. Like, I wouldn’t have wanted it to be with anybody else. So I hope that was able to shine through on the court. People can remember us and appreciate the way we were able to play and the effort we gave for one another.
Jon Scheyer
On Houston’s 10-0 run
Scheyer: Well, Houston is a team that doesn’t quit. I mean, they’re never going to stop. So my messaging throughout the whole way with the team was, Understand this team doesn’t go away. So no lead is safe with them. We could talk about not scoring down the stretch. For me it’s our defense. We gave up 42 points in the second half. That’s what carried us in the first half. I thought the last segment to close the half was big. We gave them four threes and then some uncharacteristic plays we probably made. They hit some tough shots. For me, as I reflect in the moment, I look at our defense. That was disappointing. Even if we’re not scoring, usually we get stops to get separation.
How he will process this loss
I’m not there yet, to be honest. I’m heartbroken for our team that did everything for 38 minutes or 39 minutes, and came up short. Obviously as a coach, I’m reflecting right now what else I could have said or done. I’m sure there’s a lot more that I could have done to help our guys at the end there. That’s the thing that kills me the most. The amount of game situations we’ve watched this year. We haven’t had the real-life experience all the time, but that’s something I really felt we prepared for. So I feel like I let our guys down in that regard. But I’ll cross that bridge the next couple days. Right now I’m just hurting for our guys, want to be there for them.
The locker room atmosphere after the game
Well, the first thing is I told them I’m sorry because we truly believed that we were going to be playing Monday night, and we’re capable of doing that. The thing I loved about this group, they had a purity to them. We’ve done this thing differently. Being young, to be this successful, part of ’em doesn’t know any better, which is great. Then also, like, these are the things that experience gives you, when you go through these moments. Unfortunately it comes with the tournament. It’s the most heartbreaking thing. But I just try to explain to them, like, what they’ve done for Duke, our program, our university. It’s been one of the best seasons ever. Obviously we came up short of winning the whole thing, which is what we wanted to do. But 35 wins, how hard these guys played, how together they played. You just thank them all. I couldn’t be more grateful in 2025 to have this connected of a group. It’s hard to do.
Duke’s agony: The concerns many had at season’s start were finally exposed in Final Four collapse to Houston
Matt Norlander
What he told the team during a late timeout
Yeah, it was strictly that. I didn’t feel our defense, we had that same edge in the second half. So I just wanted to give our guys just a quick breather, get ’em refocused on the key points for our defense, specifically trying to stop Cryer. We had some really uncharacteristic communication breakdowns with him to give him some open looks. Once a guy like that sees it go in, he’s been in this moment before, a heck of a competitor, a big-time scorer. I thought we settled in. I actually thought the final five minutes there we did get some stops, but that was the sole purpose of my timeout, just try to get us refocused on what we had to do to execute to get stops.
On the late technical foul’s effect on momentum
Well, I think there’s a few plays that change momentum. That’s not ideal. But still we’re up six. I keep going back we’re up six with under a minute to go. Houston never once did I feel we were going to blow Houston out, even with that lead. Look, they were in that same position at Kansas. I was watching that game a couple days ago. You never feel like they’re out of it. So I think, sure, you can look to that play. We fouled them in the bonus. There’s a bunch of plays. But end of the day, you’re winning, you have the ball, and we came up empty twice with a missed free throw and then a turnover. We just have to finish the deal. I don’t look at one play at being the momentum swinger by any means.
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