1 day Ago By Billy Heyen
Cooper Flagg didn't deserve this. For all those who want referees to let the players decide the game, the ending to Duke vs. Houston won't go down as one of their favorites.
With Duke up by a point and shooting a foul shot, Flagg pursued a miss from the side of the lane. He reached out his left arm to tap the ball, making minimal contact with the Houston rebounder inside of him, J'Wan Roberts. The official's whistle blew for a foul, some variation of the always-tricky and not-actually-existent "over the back.
" In a later clip on the broadcast, Duke coach Jon Scheyer could be seen asking, "Where is the contact?" Flagg looked dumbfounded. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith summed up what everyone was thinking in his post on X: "That was an absolute horrible foul call vs Cooper Flagg.
No way. No way." 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 The Cougars were in the 1-and-1 bonus, and Roberts is only a 63 percent foul shooter. But he made both shots for a one-point lead, and an ensuing Flagg miss and two more Houston foul shots ended the game. It's no guarantee anything would've been different if Flagg wasn't whistled for that foul.
But Houston would've been down a point and in need of a clutch play. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Instead, the Cougars got to close the game out with four free throws and advance to the national final. Duke's offense could've been better in the second half.
Flagg could've made his last-second fadeaway. By no means did the referees solely decide the game. But in one of the biggest moments, with a chance to let a non-call go, the whistle blew.
And it changed everything for Flagg and Duke. MORE: Cooper Flagg earns incredible Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery call Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. joins Larry Bird, Caitlin Clark in NCAA Tournament history.
