Cooper Flagg of Duke, Jon Scheyer said after a heartbreaking defeat against Houston in the Final Four

Duke’s head n ° 1 ended in a heartbreaking way with a 70-67 defeat against Houston’s seeded n ° 1 in the Final Four. The Blue Devils led by up to 14 points with just over eight minutes to play in regulation during the national semi-final on Saturday, but wasted their advance far from the section.

The defeat ends the Duke season and probably Cooper Flagg’s time with the program. Flagg, the overall choice n ° 1 planned for the NBA 2025 draft, should be one and made after producing one of the best first-year campaigns in the history of university basketball.

Duke did only one goal on the field in the last 10:30 am of the match. The cougars set up a relentless descent in the section to take an end of 68-67 in the last minute. Flagg missed a reversal jumper that would have given his team with his head, and Houston overturned free throws to the other end to seal one of the most improbable feedback in the history of the NCAA tournament.

“We did what we wanted to do,” said Scheyer after the loss. “I thought our guys had followed the match plan, checked the match, we had the head for 35 minutes, winning in six with a minute 15 to make. They made games. You have to give them a ton of credit. We did not make these games.”

Here is all that Scheyer and Flagg said after the defeat of the end of the season against Houston.

Cooper Flagg

His preview of the season

Yeah, I mean, it was an incredible season. Incredible people, incredible relationships I will have for the rest of my life. Did not finish as we wanted, but still an incredible year (tearing).

On the second at possession

Yeah, I mean, it’s the playing coach. I took it in painting. I thought I had my feet, raised us. Obviously left. A blow with which I am ready to live in the scenario. I got on the rim, trust the work I devoted.

What he wants to have done differently on the section

Just communication. I thought I and Sion spoiled a switch. I have to make the ball in place, find what we have to do, find a way to get the ball as intention. I think it was a big meat of messed up between me and Sion which led to a big three.

Which slowed him down on the section

I think Kon (Knuppel) said it very well. I have to give them a lot of credit for what they do every night they play. As he said, we could have been a little more sharp on the section by performing certain things. At the end of the day, you must also give them a lot of credit.

The inheritance of this team

Yeah, I would be very similar. Just the connectivity of this team. I mean, I know that I can speak for myself, I think that the rest of the guys, that the connections and the relationships that we could have all year round was phenomenal. For example, I wouldn’t have wanted to be with someone else. So I hope it could shine on the ground. People can remember us and appreciate the way we have played and the efforts we have made for each other.

Jon Scheyer

On Houston 10-0 race

Scheyer: Well, Houston is a team that does not leave. I mean, they will never stop. So, my messaging throughout the way with the team was, understand that this team does not disappear. So no advance is sure with them. We could speak of not scoring on the section. For me, this is our defense. We abandoned 42 points in the second half. This is what brought us in the first half. I thought the last segment to close the half-time was great. We gave them four three, then a few unusual pieces that we probably made. They hit difficult blows. For me, as I think in the moment, I look at our defense. It was disappointing. Even if we do not score, we generally get stops to separate.

How he will deal with this loss

I’m not there yet, to be honest. My heart is broken for our team that did everything for 38 minutes or 39 minutes, and I succeeded. Obviously, as a coach, I am currently reflecting what I could have said or do else. I’m sure there is much more than I could have done to help our guys at the end. This is the thing that kills me the most. The number of game situations that we have watched this year. We did not have the real experience all the time, but it is something I really felt that we are preparing. So I feel like I drop our guys in this regard. But I’m going to cross this bridge the next two days. Right now, I’m just suffering for our guys, I want to be there for them.

The atmosphere of the locker room after the match

Well, the first thing is that I told them that I am sorry because we really believe that we were going to play on Monday evening, and we are able to do it. What I liked in this group, they had purity for them. We did this thing differently. Being young, being this success, part of them knows not better, which is great. Then, too, as it is the things that experience gives you, when you cross these moments. Unfortunately, it comes with the tournament. This is the most heartbreaking thing. But I just try to explain to them, like what they have done for Duke, our program, our university. It was one of the best seasons of all time. Obviously, we failed to win everything, that’s what we wanted to do. But 35 victories, how hard these guys played, how much they played together. You thank them all. I could not be more grateful in 2025 to have this group linked to a group. It’s hard to do.

What he said to the team during a delay period

Yeah, that was strictly. I did not feel our defense, we had the same advantage in the second half. So, I just wanted to give our guys a little, to be refocused the key points of our defense, specifically trying to stop Cryer. We had really unusual communication failures with him to give him open looks. Once a guy as it sees in, he was at this previous moment, a hell of a competitor, a big scorer. I thought we settled. I actually thought that the last five minutes there, we made stops, but it was the only goal of my dead time, trying to refocus on what we had to do to make stops.

On the effect of the deceased technical on the momentum

Well, I think there are a few pieces that change their dynamism. It is not ideal. But we are still in place six. I continue to go back, there are six of us with less than a minute. Houston never felt once we are going to explode Houston, even with this advance. Look, they were in the same position in Kansas. I was watching this match a few days ago. You never feel like you are out of there. So I think, of course, you can watch this game. We have committed them in the bonus. There are a lot of parts. But the end of the day, you win, you have the ball, and we came empty twice with a failed franc launch and then a turnover. It is enough for us to complete the agreement. I do not watch a game in any case to be the swinger momentum.