Duke’s Jon Scheyer Assigns Blame After Final Four Loss to Houston
The Duke Blue Devils were 19 seconds away from playing in their 12th NCAA Tournament national title game on Saturday, but an untimely foul call and late-game surge from the Houston Cougars spoiled their plans.
Duke had a nine-point lead with 2:15 left in the game, but a 15-3 Houston run—facilitated by some clutch free-throw shooting—and some defensive lapses on the Blue Devils’ part is where things started to unravel.
Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg seemingly did his part, scoring a game-high 27 points while adding seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals, but he also was square in the center of the game’s defining play.
As Duke guard Tyrese Proctor stepped to the line for a 1-and-1, Flagg dug in, ready to pull down a rebound should his teammate miss.
Proctor’s shot hit the back of the rim and bounced out, and as Flagg jumped up for the rebound, he was called for a foul, which sent Houston to the line with two shot attempts
The Cougars iced the game, and Duke’s loss ended an impressive season that many, including head coach Jon Scheyer, believed was destined to end in a national championship game appearance.
After the game, Scheyer spoke with CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson, and he pointed the finger right at himself for Duke’s upset loss.
“It’s been a magical ride, we believed with everything we had we were going to win a championship here, and so I feel for them,” Scheyer said. “They’re competitive, and they’re going to think about — I didn’t help them enough, and that’s where my mind goes. And I couldn’t be more proud of them though. This is part of it, unfortunately.
“We’ve haven’t been in a lot of those games. We’ve watched a lot of game situations and practice, and that’s where I wish I could have helped them more. But they played their hearts out, they knew it was going to be a tough game, and just really feel for our guys.”
The three-point defeat to Houston was just the fourth time Duke lost this season, and it snapped the Blue Devils’ 15-game win streak.
Though he fell one win shy of playing for a national title, some still believe Scheyer should count this season as a win
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