The last thirty seconds of the Duke vs Houston game seemed like a nightmare that just wouldn’t end. Everything that could go wrong, did—Cooper Flagg fell short on a game-winning jumper with eight seconds to go, Tyrese Proctor missed crucial free-throws, and the Blue Devils squandered a six-point lead in just thirty seconds. Scheyer’s team went from championship favorites to Final Four chokers, and it wasn’t easy to watch.

However, the Blue Devils don’t have the time to mourn their loss, not with the off-season ramping up! The transfer portal is heating up, and recruitment is getting more and more aggressive by the day. Not to mention, there are quite a few players on Duke that might not come back, especially NBA prospects like Flagg, Maluach, and Knueppel.

On ESPN’s The Drive with Tim Donnelly, the analyst discussed what comes after the Final Four loss for Duke. “Making it to the Final Four is awesome, but it does make you late to the off-season. So Duke has to make decisions just a little bit faster.” He said, and it makes sense. High-profile players like ex-Tar Heel Elliot Cadeau had already switched loyalties before March Madness ended. Donnelly clarified that Duke didn’t have a shot at landing the six-foot-one guard, but his example does put Blue Devil fans on alert.

More importantly, the show host focused on the players and their agency about the coming season. “Players have to decide. The players who still have eligibility left were not thinking about ‘Should I enter the portal? Should I go pro?’ while they were trying to win a national title. So Duke better kick their roster evaluation to overdrive.” There have been questions circling around a lot of the big names, especially their superstar players.

For one, fans have been buzzing about Cooper Flagg’s return to Durham. Ever since he mentioned that he wanted to come back for a second year, it’s been a topic of great contention. Numerous NBA and NCAA legends have given their own opinions, but it’ll all boil down to what’s best for the Duke superstar.

According to Tim Donnelly, however, the Blue Devils shouldn’t keep their hopes up. “Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, if any of them return, it would be an all-time surprise. So you have to treat them like they’re gone.” He said, referring to the three top NBA prospects. Flagg is expected to go #1 overall, but both Maluach and Knueppel have made a name for themselves this March Madness.

After such an unexpected upset, it will be an uphill battle for Jon Scheyer this off-season. He has to deal with a lot—Cooper Flagg’s expected departure, the transfer portal, and potential defections. But how did the Blue Devils coach react to the late-game turnaround by Houston?

Jon Scheyer and Cooper Flagg ‘heartbroken’ after Final Four loss

The Final Four matchup against the Blue Devils and the Cougars was an exciting one for sure, but the ending was something out of this world. Houston denied Cooper Flagg his fairytale ending, and it was really hard to watch. There were so many things that went wrong for Duke, and both the coach and the star player took accountability for it all!

Starting with Scheyer, he was remorseful, to say the least. “I’m heartbroken for our team that did everything for 38 minutes or 39 minutes, and came up short.” The Blue Devils alum and coach said, giving his props to both the Cougars, and his team for the effort they put in. “I’m sure there’s a lot more that I could have done to help our guys at the end there. That’s the thing that kills me the most.”

Even though his accountability has earned him a lot of respect, there wasn’t much the young coach could do. He drew up the perfect play for a nearly perfect player, but it fell short. Cooper Flagg took J’Wan Roberts down into the paint for a two-footed post fade, and we all know what happened next.

However, according to the Duke star, Jon Scheyer’s play made a lot of sense. “[I] Took it into the paint. Thought I got my feet set, rose up. Left it short, obviously.” Flagg said about the potential game-winner. “A shot I’m willing to live with in the scenario. I went up on the rim, trust the work that I’ve put in.”

At the end of the day, some shots go in and some don’t. Duke had a magical run this year, and many people had them winning the national championship, but it wasn’t meant to be. But even after this Final Four loss, the future looks bright for Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils are in safe hands, and we’re excited to see how they progress in the coming years.