In his clear phone case, Cooper Flagg keeps a fortune cookie message: Many successes are coming your way. Indeed, the Duke freshman’s 11-plus records in a single season at Durham speaks volumes to what he is capable of. So, when it comes to that one clutch shot, would you not draw a play for him? He is a proven offensive player. On any other day, maybe that shot would’ve fallen. But with just 3 seconds on the game clock, as he attempted a reverse layup, the ball hit the front rim, Houston rebound, and just like that, it was game ball. Yet, this was not how Duke lost, was it?

The Blue Devils gave away a good lead to Houston in the final 33 seconds of the game as the now finalists went on a 9-0 run. The offense crumbled, the defense disappeared, that’s how Duke lost. But for many, it was that one controversial call on Cooper, the only one foul he carried for the game, that made the decision. And the first one to react to the whistle, of course after Flagg’s “What the…? What?,” was Stephen A. Smith. However, as it would turn out, the Chicago Bulls legend, Ron Harper, has an answer to it.

With 19.6 seconds on the game clock, Houston intentionally fouled Tyrese Proctor by Mylik Wilson. Going to the stripe, the guard missed the only free throw he received which could’ve helped Duke extend their bleak 1-point lead. As the ball bounced back from the rim towards the Cougars’ J’Wan Roberts, who was screening Cooper Flagg, the freshman extended his arm and found the ball.

However, the National Player of the Year was whistled on the rebound attempt as Jon Scheyer too stared in shock just what had happened.

Now see, both the players were scrambling for a possession. And in a Semifinal Game, with 19 seconds left, if you call on one of the top players of the sport for a loose ball foul, of course, many would find it questionable. Of course, it was not the call that crumbled all hopes for Duke but it sure tipped the scale in Houston’s favor. And so did Stephen A. who took the frustration to tweet out on X.

Smith posted, “That was an absolute horrible foul call vs Cooper Flagg. No way. No way.” Former NBA guard Ron Harper clapped back, saying, “Yes, but it didn’t cost them the game…” To Harper, it wasn’t just this moment that caused the things to fall apart for Duke. Many, though, would strongly disagree.

Even CBS’ Bill Raftery on the call said, “That’s a play on to me.” His fellow analyst and Duke legend Grant Hill concurred, “I agree.” Raftery further added, “He was being screened out. Wow.” 

NFL analyst Warren Sharp too wrote, “I don’t see how this is a foul on Flagg.”

Top Comment by Ranchman

Refs blew it Houston won on a bad call they all should be fired look at replays terrible call it...more

Share your take

Debate

In the aftermath, J’Wan received two free throws which he made, carrying the Coogs right across Duke with a 68-67 score, forcing the Blue Devils to take a timeout. And when they returned, Cooper missed his layup, shattering all remaining hopes for the Cameron Crazies. The only thing worse that could have happened was Proctor’s foul that gave the night’s performer LJ Cryer a final trip to the charity line, extending the lead to a 70-67. The final score.

That single call changed everything. Houston ended the game on a 9-0 run, while the Blue Devils missed every final attempt. Cooper Flagg’s 27-point performance got buried under one controversial whistle. And just like that, Duke’s dream faded under the bright lights of San Antonio.

Cooper Flagg and coach Scheyer open up about the airball that put a nail in the coffin

Even after the heartbreak, Cooper Flagg held his head high. Standing in front of reporters with teary eyes, he broke down the final play. “Took it into the paint, thought I got my feet set, rose up. Left it short, obviously,” he said. He missed a shot he’s made countless times, but added, “It’s a shot I’m willing to live with in that scenario.”

That miss didn’t just cost Duke a title shot; it marked the end of a dream that had seemed all but promised as the walk-on Stanley Borden could only wonder sitting in the locker room, “There’s a thought when you have a loss like this, like, what was it all for?”

Head coach Jon Scheyer backed his star without hesitation. “For the rest of my life, I’ll have no regrets with No. 2 with the ball 6 feet from the basket,” he said. Scheyer clearly trusted Flagg to take that shot, just as he had trusted him all season. Duke had followed the game plan, controlled the tempo, and led for 35 minutes. But even a near-perfect plan can’t stop chaos when it strikes at the worst moment.

J’Wan Roberts, the man who sank the go-ahead free throws, spoke with calm confidence. “To tell you the honest truth… I wasn’t really nervous at all,” he said, crediting hours of nightly practice that made it all muscle memory. His composure at the line added the final blow to Duke’s unraveling. Scheyer’s team may have cracked under pressure, but Roberts thrived in it. The moment was big, but he was ready for it.

Even Houston’s coach, Kelvin Sampson, knew the game’s final shot would go to Flagg. “Everybody knew who was going to get it,” he said, praising Roberts for contesting just enough. And when Flagg’s shot clanged off the front rim, Duke’s season ended not with a mistake but with a moment of silence. Just a clean look that didn’t fall.

Flagg’s words at the end said it all: “Incredible people, incredible relationships that I’m going to have for the rest of my life. Didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but still an incredible year.”

Stephen A. Smith called it a terrible call. Ron Harper pushed back. But the truth sits somewhere in the middle. Flagg’s foul was harsh, but Duke didn’t lose on one play or one whistle- they lost it in the last ten minutes. March Madness is brutal like that, as the name would suggest.