NBA-bound Cooper Flagg left stunned as questionable call helps Houston erase late deficit and crush Duke’s title dreams
Cooper Flagg was left in disbelief after being penalized for a foul on Houston rival J’Wan Roberts as the Blue Devils blew their Final Four matchup lead
A foul call against Duke superstar Cooper Flagg in Saturday’s crushing Final Four collapse to Houston has sparked outrage following the narrow defeat.
The Blue Devils had a lead of nine with less than three minutes left when the Cougars decided to hit back while also getting a slice of luck with a referee foul call on Flagg. In 25 seconds, the Cougars wore down the Blue Devils’ lead from nine to one before Flagg was called for an over-the-back foul on J’Wan Roberts
Roberts was sent to the line and calmly put away both free throws to hand the Cougars their first lead since going up 4-2 in the first half. The Cougars went on to win 70-67 to set up a National Championship clash with Florida thanks to relentless defense. Impressively, the Cougars limited the Blue Devils and projected NBA first-overall pick Flagg to just two field goals in the final 13 minutes and none in the final three.
Nonetheless, the foul call on Flagg caused outrage online, with several prominent basketball figures criticizing the referee’s decision, which heaped more pressure on the Blue Devils. “That was an absolute horrible foul call vs Cooper Flagg. No way. No way,” Stephen A. Smith tweeted. “NOT A FOUL ON FLAGG. COME ON,” Skip Bayless fumed.
“What a ludicrous foul call on Cooper Flagg,” Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor stated. The Blue Devils’ spectacular March Madness collapse could be Flagg’s last game for the basketball program. Per several reports, the 18-year-old is set to turn pro and head to the NBA via the draft later this year, where he is widely expected to be selected first overall.
Flagg was a man of few words after the loss but made sure to express pride in his journey with the Blue Devils. “I mean, it was an incredible season. Incredible people, incredible relationships that I’m going to have for the rest of my life,” Flagg said. “It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but still an incredible year.”
“I can speak for myself, and for the rest of the guys, and say that the connections and relationships we had all year long, was phenomenal,” he added. “I wouldn’t have wanted it to be with anyone else, so
I hope that was able to shine through on the court, and people can remember us and appreciate the way that we were able to play and the effort that we gave for one another.”
The Cougars’ defense is what got them through the clash with the Blue Devils. Flagg made sure to give the Cougars their flowers. “Got to give them a lot of credit for what they do every single night they play,” Flagg said.
“We could have been a little bit more sharp down the stretch executing some things. At the end of the day, you got to give them a lot of credit, as well.”
