It's going to take a long time for Duke Basketball fans to get over this one. Duke had one foot in the national title game on Monday night, but, and we hate to admit it, an unreal comeback from Houston in the final minute ruined everything.
Let's be real here, though, Houston got some help from the officials. With under 20 seconds to go, Cooper Flagg was called for a beyond questionable foul that sent J'Wan Roberts to the line. At the time, the Cougars were down 67-66, but he hit both to put UH up 68-67.
The call against Flagg and Duke is one that's going to be discussed probably until the start of next season. Take a look at a slow-motion angle of the play below. On which planet is this actually a foul? We're sorry, but the refs completely dropped the ball here:
Cooper Flagg called for a foul here. This gives Houston free throws on the other end. The announcers do not like the call pic.twitter.com/JwSNz6UWrB
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) April 6, 2025
Duke fans remain furious over the terrible foul call on Cooper Flagg vs. Houston
What are we even doing here? Flagg and Roberts were both going after the ball and there was some hand fighting. If anything, it looked like Roberts had a hook move going on Flagg that didn't get called, yet some minor contact from the Duke superstar is what led to the whistle going off?
Countless Duke supporters have taken to social media to let everyone know how disgusted they were with the call. It's hard not to agree with them, as it really looks like this was a BS decision from the team in stripes.
Was it the only reason Duke lost? Of course not. This team couldn't buy a bucket down the stretch and the issues trying to get the ball in play is something Jon Scheyer is going to have to focus on cleaning up for next season. Give credit to Houston for pulling things off, but we hate that the refs have played such a huge role on the final outcome.
Flagg is surely going to be haunted over this for a little while too. You've got to feel for the kid, as he was once again electric, but his late foul and the missed jumper with the game on the line to win it is what people are focusing on right now.