Cooper Flagg was left emotional after a late surge from the Houston Cougars ended his March Madness dream.
Houston scored the game’s final nine points in 33 seconds to stun the Blue Devils 70-67 on Saturday night and book their place in the NCAA Tournament‘s national championship game.
Their no-room-to-breathe defense had wiped away a 14-point deficit over the final eight minutes to erase any hope Flagg and a star-laden Duke team had of winning the title.
Post-game, the projected No. 1 pick of this year’s NBA Draft appeared emotional as he reflected on the Final Four defeat and his own historic season.
“I mean, it was an incredible season. Incredible people, incredible relationships that I’m going to have for the rest of my life,” Flagg said.
“It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but still an incredible year.”
Flagg, who was fighting back tears, went on to praise his teammates as he discussed how he hopes this Duke team will be remembered.
“I can speak for myself, and for the rest of the guys, and say that the connections and relationships we had all year long, was phenomenal,” he said.
“I wouldn’t have wanted it to be with anyone else, so I hope that was able to shine through on the court, and people can remember us and appreciate the way that we were able to play and the effort that we gave for one another.”
Duke went into the Final Four, which was made up of all No. 1 seeds, as the favorite to win the national championship.
The Blue Devils won their four games ahead of this weekend by an average margin of 23.5 points.
But against the Cougars, Flagg and his teammates found points hard to come by.
Led by Joseph Tugler’s four blocks and a defense that smothered everything, Houston held Duke to total of one field goal over the last 10 minutes.
The 67 points they put up in the Final Four of March Madness were Duke’s second-lowest output of its now-ended season.
And while the Blue Devils go home, the Cougars will make their first trip to the final since 1984, proving that the age-old adage is perhaps true.
Defense wins championships.
Houston has allowed the fewest points this season and even against Duke, with Flagg, Kon Knueppel and a roster with five or six NBA prospects, it made things impossible down the stretch.
“Got to give them a lot of credit for what they do every single night they play,” Flagg said of his opponents.
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“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.”
Despite being emotional, Flagg came out to face the media alongside teammate Knueppel, and fans praised his poise in front of the reporters.
“Great post-game press conference skills. he’s a natural,” one person said.
“He cares a lot man. Earned my respect. Best of luck Cooper,” another wrote.
Houston, who have never won a title, will play Florida on Monday night for the championship.
The Gators, inspired by Walter Clayton Jr, secured a 79-73 win over Auburn in the early game.
The All-America guard scored 34 points with five 3-pointers, giving him the first consecutive 30-point games this deep in the tourney since Larry Bird.
