We'll Talk About Houston Stunning Duke for a Long Time

Wall Street Journal

07-04-2025

All month long, it was Duke this, Duke that, Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke.
Well, that's that.
Saturday in San Antonio, the Houston Cougars roared back from a seven-point deficit with 86 seconds left to stun the mighty Durham Blue Devils, 70-67, breaking this columnist's—and this august newspaper's—Duke fever and freeing America from another 24 hours of sweaty hype.
Now 35-4 Houston plays in Monday night's title game against the 35-4 Florida Gators. Tipoff is at 8:50 p.m. ET. (Yes, it's really at 8:50, because sports must make everything as weird and hard to follow as possible.)
The Cougars, who haven't been in the title game since the days of Hakeem Olajuwon and 'Phi Slama Jama,' are seeking the school's first-ever national championship. The Gainesville Gators are chasing their third—and the first since they went back-to-back in 2006 and 2007.
It should be a zesty, hard-fought game in the Alamo Dome. These are two hungry top-ranked teams. Can't wait.
Still, we need to talk about Houston-Duke, because that one was an all-timer.
It's the day after the day after and I don't quite believe what I saw.
You can call it a Blue Devils collapse, if it pleases you.
I think the Cougars went out and took it.
Duke, rolling for a month and an even-money favorite to take the 2025 title, appeared squarely in control. The second semifinal wasn't a back-and-forth battle. Duke was scoring, rebounding, dictating pace. Houston seemed a notch lacking almost every facet of the game.
Yes: There were some early minutes in which the Cougars displayed their famous defensive ferocity (they're the nation's top-rated defense) and Duke struggled to get good shots, but…it didn't last. Coach Jon Scheyer's long, tall Blue Devils started finding a way and pouring it on.
It stayed that way for three quarters of the game. The Blue Devils were putting the Cougars in the rear view. Houston would make mini-runs and Duke would answer. Scheyer was getting an excellent game from his signature recruit, Mainer Cooper Flagg (27 points), and Duke's fellow super-freshman, Kon Knueppel (16 points).
What everybody thought was going to happen was happening. Duke was better. It was obvious.
Then, suddenly, it wasn't. With 10 ½ minutes remaining in the game, the Blue Devils went cold. They'd manage only a single field goal the rest of the night.
What happened?
Houston happened.
It was a ruthless comeback. The Cougars, refusing to submit, collected like a fist. They ratcheted up the intensity and started chipping away.
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is known for punishing practices and obsession with game fitness—a brutal regimen helpful for moments like this.
Despite a few runs, Houston had trouble fully closing the deficit, and Duke maintained breathing room. In the closing minutes, when the fouls and endless referee reviews started happening, I did that groan you do when you start seeing end-of-game-fouls and referee reviews.
This never works, I thought. This game is cooked. Good night.
When Houston's Joseph Tugler got dinged for a technical foul with 1:14 left for slapping the ball out of a Duke inbounder's hand, it felt like the cruel end.
It wasn't the end.
Duke will relive those closing minutes for a long time. That brickfest from the field, a late miss at the line, a questionable over-the-back foul on Flagg that put Houston's J'Wan Roberts on the stripe…you could start to delude yourself this was some sort of unprovoked cosmic unraveling, the basketball gods conspiring against one of the most polarizing programs.
It wasn't a conspiracy.
It was Houston.
Houston never gave up. They played the better, clearer clutch minutes. They hit their free throws. They squared up on defense against Flagg on Duke's final stand and watched as his jumper hit the front rim.
They didn't get this win. They took it.
Sampson, a coaching peripatetic who's been at this for more than four decades, alluded to his team's tenacity in his postgame interview. With his jubilant players around him, he told CBS's Tracy Wolfson he'd heard all the 'Duke this, Duke that.'
'Duke's great,' the 69-year-old Sampson said. 'Jon Scheyer is awesome. But don't sleep on Houston…we weren't 34-4 playing in the toy poodle league. We were 19-1 in the Big 12.'
First of all, if there is no such thing as the toy poodle league, I would like to start the toy poodle league, because I would enjoy watching it, especially if the toy poodles got name, image, likeness deals for hair ribbons and carry-on bags and got at least one automatic bid into March Madness.
Secondly, you know a coach has been around for a while when he says something like the toy poodle league.
It's hard not to feel some joy for Sampson, who's toiled at multiple programs and levels and is finally at the doorstep of an incredible career moment.
And it's hard not to feel some joy for the Cougar players, who had to listen to all that endless Duke this, Duke that, and Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke.
No more.
Florida awaits. Uh, 8:50 p.m. ET.
Write to Jason Gay at [e-mail]