Sports have a unique way of capturing every emotional high and low, and that was on full display Saturday night in San Antonio at the Alamodome.
The Duke Blue Devils led for nearly the entire game, with the exception of a brief moment early on. As the Blue Devils inched closer to clinching a spot in the national championship, the atmosphere was electric, and fans were riding high. But all of that came crashing down in the final minutes.
The Houston Cougars, despite being on the brink of elimination, hung around and imposed their defensive will, leading to a stunning double-digit comeback. They ultimately defeated Duke 70-67, leaving college basketball fans in disbelief.
Following the loss, freshman star Cooper Flagg, who likely played his final game in a Blue Devils uniform, captured attention as the NCAA posted a slow-motion video of him exiting the floor and walking through the tunnel. The heartbreak was evident.
“The emotions of #MarchMadness,” NCAA posted. “Cooper Flagg makes his exit at the Alamodome.”
Check it out:
Duke was riding an extreme high, and sometimes, when you’ve been dominant all season and faced minimal adversity—especially in the NCAA Tournament where they’ve handled every opponent with ease—the pressure can set in when you face a team that’s been through it and has the experience, like Houston.
The Cougars never quit, and in the final moments, when the Blue Devils struggled to inbound the ball, couldn’t create space, missed crucial free throws, and failed to execute drawn-up plays, it was clear: the game had slipped away.
However, for Cooper Flagg, he left it all out on the floor. The freshman phenom put up a game-high 27 points, adding seven rebounds, four assists, and three blocks.
While it wasn’t the ending the Blue Devils had envisioned when they started the season, Cooper Flagg has undoubtedly cemented his name in college basketball history after an unforgettable freshman campaign in Durham, North Carolina.
