Cooper Flagg Makes History, Reacts to Duke's Loss vs. Houston in Final Four Bracket

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg was satisfied with the execution but disappointed with the result from his turnaround jumper that hit the front iron in the final seconds of Saturday's 70-67 loss to Houston in the men's Final Four.

"It's the play coach drew up," Flagg told reporters after the game. "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."

With Duke trailing by a point, head coach Jon Scheyer called for a play to get the ball into the hands of his best player. Flagg backed down Houston forward J'Wan Roberts before dribbling to his right and fading away inside the free-throw line. His shot was short, and Cougars guard Mylik Wilson grabbed the rebound to effectively seal the win for his team.

Assuming he's off to the NBA, it's a tough way for Flagg's brief college career to end. His overall performance in the national semifinals drove home why he's the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA, though.

The 6'9" forward finished with 27 points, seven rebound, four assists, two steals and three blocks. Since at least 1986, no player had had team highs across the five major stat categories in a Final Four game until Saturday.

That makes the closing sequence even more painful for Flagg and Duke fans. In addition to his missed go-ahead shot, he committed an over-the-back foul on Roberts that sent the senior to the line for a one-and-one. He sank both free throws to put Houston up 67-66 with 19.6 seconds on the clock.

Flagg had a brilliant season with the Blue Devils, more than living up to the lofty hype he had as a prep standout. In time, the totality of his freshman campaign is what people will remember rather than how it concluded.