Felt like there weren’t many surprises to give out in the ongoing March Madness tournament? Well, J’Wan Roberts and co said “Hold my ball”. This was a matchup that was supposed to elevate the Cooper Flagg-led Duke Blue Devils squad to the championship for the first time since 2015. However, it turned into shattered dreams when the Houston Cougars pulled away with a 70-67 score.

In light of this sudden twist, several people went scrambling to find out what went wrong. Or rather, what went right for the Cougars? The obvious praise, in this case, would be given to Houston’s ‘suffocating’ defense that closed out a 14-point deficit over the last 8 minutes. However, did some last-minute mistakes from the officials’ side also contribute to the loss? Some do think so.

The official X account of Rate the Refs highlighted a clip of Cooper Flagg being called for a foul for reaching over J’Wan Roberts. The call gave Houston free throws on the other end, giving them a chance to add to their score, which eventually went beyond the one set by Duke. The announcers were noticeably upset with the call. One of them could be heard stating “That’s a Play-on to me”, while the other said “I agree”. The first announcer added, “I mean, he was being screened out”.

Allegations about unfair calls being made by the NCAA referees during the ongoing March Madness tournament are nothing new. During the UConn-Florida game in the tournament’s 2nd round, Dan Hurley’s squad had committed 21 fouls to Florida’s 17. Despite this, they shot 19-of-22 from the line compared to the Gators’ 22-of-34. Dan Hurley was already upset enough about the loss, and the alleged wrong calls just made him angrier. While leaving the arena, he came across a group of Baylor players who were set to have their game next. In the then viral video, Hurley could be heard saying, “I hope they don’t f— you like they f—-d us.”

The next incident came up during the Gators’ game against the Maryland Terrapins. The latter team had 16 fouls to Florida’s 22. Throughout the matchup, fans were taking to social media and asking Todd Golden to fight for his players by getting into the referees’ faces. Then, in the Florida-Texas Tech matchup during the Elite Eight stage of March Madness, reports pointed towards some “questionable decision-making” after Texas Tech’s foul just before a 10-second violation. Plus, with Texas Tech capitalizing on turnovers and second-chance points, and Florida repeatedly going to the foul line, the belief that the Gators were being given advantages was only made stronger.

From USA Today to Ball Durham, everyone is now speculating whether the call made against Cooper Flagg was justified. After all, Duke was then holding a close 67-66 lead. Then, Houston’s J’Wan Roberts went to the free-throw line, buried both shots, and changed the game’s course. Duke called a timeout after the ball got across midcourt, and Jon Scheyer drew up a play. As expected, Cooper Flagg got the ball, but his turnaround jumper fell just short, causing Houston to again go to the line. All was ruined due to that foul call.

But let’s not forget that even if that foul call was wrong, things were looking bad for Duke already. After all, Duke made just one successful field goal during the game’s last 10 1/2 minutes. Duke had the chance to turn things around in the last minute. However, the second-to-last attempt, aka the step-back jumper in the lane by Flagg, was disrupted by J’Wan Roberts.

Despite this, Duke fans and basketball enthusiasts will continue to question the foul call for the time being. As for Cooper Flagg, the star player might simply be reflecting on what he achieved and what he could have had.

Cooper Flagg reflects on “incredible” season after shocking elimination: “Didn’t end the way we wanted it to….”

One word that could be used to describe Cooper Flagg’s mood during the post-game press conference was ‘Somber’. Understandably so, after all, Duke’s chances of securing the NCAA championship title were ruined. Yet, despite what happened, Flagg chose not to stay stuck on that gone moment. The player attempted to draw attention to all the team had achieved over the past few weeks and months, by stating, “Yeah, I mean, it was an incredible season. Incredible people, I mean, good relationships that I am gonna have for the rest of my life. (It) didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but still an incredible year”.

Speculations are rampant that fans might have seen Cooper Flagg play his last college basketball game since, according to reports, the player was expected to declare for the 2025 NBA Draft. In fact, he was not only to be a 1st round pick but also THE 1ST pick of the year. And we are sure no one’s asking why. Being just the fourth freshman ever to win the Wooden Award, he led the Blue Devils to the Final Four, averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He took things up a notch as March Madness began, averaging 21 points, 6.8-15.4 (44.2%) field goals, 1.8-3.6 (50.0%) 3-pointers, and 5.6-6.2 (90.3%) free throws.

However, Flagg might find himself in a dilemma after the game against Houston. Because who would not want to walk away with an NCAA championship title to their name? Therefore, who knows? The loss might motivate him to try for another college season.