If Saturday’s Final Four games are any indication, college basketball fans are in for a thrilling championship game on Monday.
Here’s how it all went down on Saturday:
Houston topples Duke in frantic finish
For 30 minutes on Saturday, Duke looked well on its way to the national title game and a chance to cap Cooper Flagg’s historic freshman season with a championship.Houston had other ideas. It ended the game with a 15-3 flurry to secure a 70-67 stunner and advance to Monday’s national title game against Florida.
Duke appeared to be in control with a 67-61 lead and possession of the ball with 1:14 remaining. But a missed Kon Knueppel layup led to an Emmanuel Sharp 3-pointer on the other end that cut Duke’s lead to 67-64 with 33 seconds left. Houston then forced a turnover on an inbounds pass under its basket, leading to a Joseph Tugler dunk that cut Duke’s lead to 67-66.
Duke’s Tyrese Proctor then missed the front end of a one-and-one on the other end, and Cooper Flagg got whistled for a loose ball foul on the rebound, sending J’Wan Roberts to the free throw line with a chance to take the lead. Roberts hit both shots to give Houston a 68-67 lead with 19.6 remaining, extending Houston’s run to 13-3.
Flagg had a look at a go-ahead jumper on Duke’s next possession, but it bounced off the front of the rim and more Houston free throws iced it.It added up to a stunning collapse for a Duke team pegged as the championship favorite that was in control of the game with a 14-point lead with 8:17 remaining. Flagg was well on his way to his coronation with a dominant effort on both sides of the floor.
