And one: Analyzing Duke's Final Four loss to Houston

No. 1-seed Duke exited the NCAA Tournament after a heartbreaking loss to No. 1-seed Houston in the Final Four Saturday evening. The Blue Zone analyzes the 70-67 defeat:

One player: Cooper Flagg

The 6-foot-9 freshman put up another impressive all-round outing in probably the last college basketball game of his career. Flagg led the Blue Devils on offense with 27 points and four assists, while also contributing defensively with seven rebounds and three blocks. Moreover, on a night when free throws were crucial, he went 8-for-8 from behind the charity stripe. However, the Newport, Maine, native was not without his faults. Firstly, Flagg’s points tallies came from only eight field goals made from 19 attempts, amounting to his second-worst percentage of the entire NCAA Tournament. In the final moments of the game, he was called for a foul on Houston forward J’Wan Roberts, whose two made free throws put the Cougars ahead in the dying seconds. Despite the loss, Flagg had an exceptional season overall for Duke, earning himself numerous honors such as ACC Rookie of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, the Wooden Award and even the prestigious Naismith Award. It is clear that he has written his name into the history book of college basketball and Blue Devil legend.

One word: Collapse

There is no other word to describe the last few minutes of Saturday’s game. Duke looked dominant most of the first half, and deservedly headed into the break leading Houston by six points. The Blue Devils continued their momentum by extending the lead to 14 points after a pair of free throws from Flagg. Then, everything fell apart as the Cougars stifled Duke’s offense. In the last 10 minutes, the Blue Devils only managed one field goal, while Houston went on a 13-3 comeback run that ended Duke’s dream of a sixth national championship. In particular, the Cougars outscored the Blue Devils 9-0 in the last 33 seconds of the game, completely overhauling a six-point deficit in no time at all. Flagg had an opportunity to win the game in the dying moments, but missed the potential game-winning shot. Overall, Houston held Duke to 37.5% shooting in the second half — 20% lower than the Blue Devils’ average through the first four games of the tournament. Before the match against the Cougars, Duke had averaged 91.8 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, including scoring 100 points against No. 4-seed Arizona. Against Houston, though, the Blue Devils inexplicably managed only 67 points.

One stat: 31 Rebounds

Duke was completely outrebounded by the Cougars, both defensively and offensively. Houston put up 42 boards compared to the Blue Devils’ 31, with senior forward Roberts responsible for 12 of them. On the other hand, freshman center Khaman Maluach, who averaged 6.6 rebounds this season, did not pick up a single rebound for Duke. As a result, the Cougars had more opportunities to score in crucial moments, while stopping the Blue Devils’ second chances. Indeed, Houston grabbed 18 offensive boards compared to Duke’s 10; those extra possessions allowed the Cougars to chip away at Duke’s 14-point lead late in the second half, keeping pressure on the Blue Devils’ defense and preventing Duke from establishing a rhythm offensively. The Blue Devils, known more for their finesse and transition offense, simply could not match Houston’s physicality in the paint down the stretch. That edge on the boards was not just any statistic — it was the engine behind the Cougars’ late surge and the deciding factor in a game where every possession mattered.