Cooper Flagg, Duke Collapse Stuns CBB Fans as L.J. Cryer, Houston Steal Final Four Win

Duke fell apart down the stretch of its Final Four matchup with Houston on Saturday night in the 2025 NCAA tournament, ultimately suffering a 70-67 loss.

With the Blue Devils leading by one point and 20 seconds left in the second half, Cooper Flagg fouled Cougars forward J'Wan Roberts following a missed free throw.

Roberts sunk both of his fouls shots to put Houston up by one, and a jumper from Flagg on Duke's ensuing possession fell short.

The Blue Devils led by as many as 14 points in the second half and maintained a six-point advantage with under one minute remaining in the contest, but a three-pointer from Emanuel Sharp and a dunk from Joseph Tugler allowed the Cougars to cut into the deficit before Flagg's costly foul.

Fans were shocked by the collapse from Duke.

Flagg finished with a game-high 27 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals.

Freshman guard Kon Knueppel was the only other Blue Devil to finish with more than seven points, scoring 16 on 5-of-9 shooting.

For the Cougars, senior guard L.J. Cryer kept them within striking distance throughout the contest before their late run. Cryer scored 26 points while hitting six of his nine attempts from three-point territory.

Houston has now advanced to the national championship game for the first time since 1984.

The Cougars are set to face off against Florida on Monday with a national title on the line.