South Carolina just crushed Duke’s hopes of making their first Final Four since 2006, pulling off a 54-50 victory. The Blue Devils controlled most of the game but collapsed in the fourth quarter, watching their lead slip away at the free-throw line. While foul trouble played a role, fans were more frustrated by Kara Lawson’s coaching decisions, drawing comparisons to John Calipari’s blunders in Arkansas’ Sweet 16 loss. The final moments were a brutal reminder that a coach’s choices can dictate a season’s fate.

Like Calipari, Lawson is facing criticism for poor shot selection, questionable substitutions, and late-game management mistakes. One fan on X vented, “Kara Lawson for Duke with the dumbest sub, she subs out her leading scorer who has 20 pts down 2 with 20 seconds left … and subs her back in for defense with 8 seconds left.”

The decision was baffling. Toby Fournier, who had 18 points, three blocks, and six rebounds in 32 minutes, was benched with 29 seconds remaining for Tania Mair, who played 18 minutes, shot 1-5 from the field, and had just three points while committing two fouls.

The move left fans shaking their heads, questioning what Lawson saw that they didn’t and the outrage didn’t stop there.

Fans rip Kara Lawson after Duke’s collapse vs. South Carolina—A Calipari-like disaster?

Another fan fumed, “Duke really should be ashamed of themselves. I know damn well a step-back three wasn’t a play Kara Lawson had drawn up at any point of the game, especially with LESS THAN 30 SECONDS ON THE CLOCK.”

The rushed shot selection mirrored Calipari’s Arkansas team, which crumbled in crunch time against Texas Tech. In both cases, the lack of a structured offensive set proved disastrous. The shot this user was talking about was one that came from Ashlon Jackson with seven seconds left on the clock — a missed three-pointer. By that time, Jackson was just 4-13 from the field and 2-8 from beyond the arc. Given the crucial moment and her inefficient shooting, Jackson should have selected a better shot.

One fan said, “Terrible coaching by Kara Lawson. Terrible. Too much free basketball instead of actually having a good game plan.”

To be fair, if Duke had won, people wouldn’t be complaining about Lawson’s “free basketball” style. In fact, it was this approach that briefly allowed her team to gain a six-point lead over Dawn Staley and South Carolina.

Another fan said, “That’s on Kara Lawson. I’m befuddled by that decision.”

Indeed, both the shot selection by Jackson and Lawson’s decision to sub out Toby Fournier with 30 seconds left—only to sub her back in after South Carolina had taken a comfortable four-point lead in the fourth quarter—were baffling choices.

One fan bluntly called it a “Kara Lawson disasterclass.”

However, unless someone finds a way to beat South Carolina, almost every coach will seem like a disaster compared to Dawn Staley. She has built a team that excels without a traditional dominant center and one that punishes opponents despite rebounding significantly less.

Another fan added, “Nahhh…. She knew what many have been saying all season. She knew her players didn’t have it. Her coaching has masked over a TON of deficiencies. She gave up on her girls for sure, but those girls don’t have enough to beat SC.”

Before the game, Lawson had this to say: “You have to get a feel for the game. Each game has its own identity, and each game is going to present a problem set for you that you have to try and figure out. Sometimes there are problem sets you can anticipate. Sometimes you can’t. So it’s really about solving issues in the moment and finding a way to fix them.”

Friday’s problem for the Blue Devils was their inability to make shots. Duke shot just 31% from the field and missed its first nine baskets. Lawson managed to solve this issue earlier in the season by relying on her team’s defensive identity—for example, holding North Carolina to just six points in the fourth quarter in a previous game. But against South Carolina, she simply couldn’t solve the puzzle.

Duke struggled offensively, shooting a similar 31.7% from the field (19-60) and 29.4% from beyond the arc (5-17), while South Carolina was far more efficient, hitting 43.2% of their shots (19-44) and 37.5% from three (3-8). Despite their shooting woes, Duke dominated the boards, out-rebounding South Carolina 41-30, including a significant 19-6 edge in offensive rebounds. However, turnovers proved costly for Duke, as their 19 giveaways led to 14 points for South Carolina, ultimately tipping the game in the Gamecocks’ favor.

Duke had its chances but fell apart in crunch time. While some blame Kara Lawson, others acknowledge that South Carolina is simply on another level right now. Either way, this game will likely fuel discussions about Lawson’s coaching decisions as Duke moves forward.