Houston Cougars rally past Duke Blue Devils in Final Four - ESPN

SAN ANTONIO — Saturday's Final Four matchup between Duke and Houston seemed like another stop on the Blue Devils' march to a national championship, just another prelude to the looming Cooper Flagg and Duke coronation.

After a Tyrese Proctor free throw put Duke up by 14 points with 8:17 left in the second half, the inevitable seemed closer than ever. That was cemented when Flagg buried a 3 to extend the Blue Devils' lead to nine with three minutes remaining.

Except Houston's culture doesn't allow concessions.

«It ain't over because they still got time on the clock,» Cougars guard L.J. Cryer said after the game.

Houston went on a 9-0 run in the final 35 seconds to win 70-67, shocking Duke and the Alamodome crowd to advance to Monday's national championship game against Florida.

Cryer led the way with 26 points and six 3-pointers, while Flagg's final college game featured a 27-point, 7-rebound, 4-assist performance. The Cougars, who advanced to the title game in 1983 and 1984, have a chance to win their first national championship.

Saturday night was a combination of a stunning Duke collapse and desperate Houston comeback.

Following the aforementioned Proctor free throw, Houston responded with a 10-0 run to shift the momentum. But Duke pushed the lead back to nine with 3:03 left on a Flagg corner 3-pointer. The Blue Devils wouldn't make another shot from the field.

«Houston is a team that doesn't quit,» Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. «I mean, they're never going to stop. So my messaging throughout the whole way with the team was, understand this team doesn't go away. So no lead is safe with them.»

Joseph Tugler committed a technical foul by reaching over the out-of-bounds line to knock the ball out of Sion James' hands with