By Alec Millender

Sports Capital Journalism Program

SAN ANTONIO — Houston didn’t just survive. Houston believed.

Trailing Duke by 14 points with 8:17 remaining, the Cougars roared back with an unforgettable 11-1 run in the last 74 seconds, stunning the Blue Devils 70–67 in a national semifinal in the Alamodome. The comeback was the fifth-largest comeback in Final Four history and third-largest in a national semifinal.

Houston (36–3) advances to face fellow No. 1 seed Florida (35–4) on Monday night in the national championship game. The Cougars will play for a national championship for the first time in 41 years, since Hakeem Olajuwon’s Phi Slama Jama team lost to Patrick Ewing and Georgetown. Duke (35-4) lost for the second time in the last 33 games.

“I feel like basketball’s a game of runs,” senior forward J’Wan Roberts said. “They went on their run… we had a feeling that we can still win the game.”

L.J. Cryer, aiming to become the first player to win national championships with two different programs (Baylor in 2021, Houston in 2025), led all Cougars with 26 points, five rebounds, and an assist. He played all 40 minutes.

“It ain’t over because they still got time on the clock,” Cryer said. “As long as there’s time on the clock, we’re going out there and give it our all… We’ve been in positions like that before. We just had to keep that belief, keep that faith.”

The Blue Devils, who came in with the nation’s top adjusted offensive efficiency rating (KenPom 130.1), were held to just 37% shooting in the second half. Their 67 points were their second-fewest in a game all season.

Duke led for 34:54 of the contest. Houston led for just 3:47. But those final minutes told the story of the Cougars’ resilience, brotherhood, and unshakable will.

The game turned chaotic—and iconic—in the final 90 seconds. After a pair of Houston free throws cut Duke’s lead to five, a bizarre sequence unfolded: Joseph Tugler, in a moment of desperation, knocked the ball out of the hands of Duke inbounder Sion James, resulting in a technical foul.

“That was the dumbest stuff I’ve ever done,” Tugler said. “But I told myself, ‘Keep fighting Jo. It’s not over.’”

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson recognized Tugler’s guilt immediately. “He was so apologetic, almost in tears,” Sampson said. “I couldn’t even get on him. He knew what he did wrong. That’s one of those, just leave him alone. He’ll learn from that.”

Duke’s Kon Knueppel made the technical free throw and the Blue Devils regained possession. But just seconds later, Tugler redeemed himself in dramatic fashion by blocking Knueppel’s layup attempt, which sparked a fast break and ended in an Emanuel Sharp 3-pointer that brought the deficit down to three with 33 seconds to go.

“That was the moment I knew we were going to win,” said assistant coach Hollis Price. “Emanuel hit that three, and suddenly they were the ones under pressure.”

Sharp finished with 16 points, going 3-of-7 from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the line. “That three changed everything,” Ja’Vier Francis said. “We could feel it shift.”

Following a turnover by James on the very next Duke inbounds, Mylik Wilson’s missed three led to a thunderous putback slam by Tugler, cutting the deficit to one. Then the Cougars would see their thoughts of the game not being over were true: after fouling Tyrese Proctor, who missed the front end of a one-and-one, Roberts secured the rebound and drew a foul on the box out. Roberts, who finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds, calmly drained both free throws to give Houston a 68–67 lead with 19 seconds to play.

Sampson credits Roberts’ ability to knock down those free throws down to the work he did in the summer. Every player, Sampson said, had to take 150 free throws each day, seven days a week. ”On his own he went from 66% to 86%,” Sampson said.

“…In the moment tonight when everybody was watching, he prepared himself when nobody was watching.”

With 3.7 seconds left, Duke star Cooper Flagg, the consensus national player of the year who had dominated with 27 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, missed a mid-range jumper that would’ve saved Duke’s season. Flagg finished 8-for-8 from the line and 75% from three but went just 1-of-5 in the final 7:24.

After Cryer sealed the victory with two more free throws, Tyrese Proctor’s desperation heave at the buzzer clanged off the glass.

Mayhem erupted.

Houston held Duke to just one basket in their final nine attempts. Flagg, Proctor, Knueppel, and Sion James all failed to score in the final four minutes.

“We held them to 67,” Sampson said. “That was the tempo we needed. We weren’t going to win this game in the 80s.”

The Cougars also dominated the boards, outrebounding Duke 42–31, including 18 offensive rebounds. “We call those ‘unscripted points,’” Sampson said.

That effort was visible on the sideline, too. Throughout the NCAA Tournament, Houston’s bench stood the entire game, never sitting, something Price credits to the elevated floors of tournament venues.

“It helps,” Price said. “Our guys are calling out defensive assignments, they’re into every possession. They’re locked in.”

Redshirt freshman Jacob McFarland said fellow redshirt Chase McCarty leads the bench energy.

“Chase always says, ‘We’re not sitting. He brings the energy. We’re always standing because we’re locked in,’” McFarland said. “We’re just having our brothers’ backs.”

And when it mattered most, those brothers didn’t flinch.

“We’ve been built for this,” said Mylik Wilson. “Even when JoJo got that tech, we just kept saying, ‘It’s alright. Let’s keep going.’ That’s the culture.”

In a game where Duke dictated the pace and physicality and holding the lead for 34:54, it was Houston that dictated the final five. The Cougars finished with just eight turnovers, forced key stops, and stayed connected, both on the floor and on the sideline.

“When they called the timeout, they didn’t know what to do,” Tugler said. “They didn’t want the ball for real.”

When it was over, Duke coach Jon Scheyer was asked what he had told his team in the dressing room. “Well, the first thing is I told them I was sorry,” he said, “because we truly believed that we were going to be playing Monday night.”