Duke and Cooper Flagg react after devastating Final Four loss

SAN ANTONIO — Up by double figures in the second half at the Final Four, closing in on the chance to play for yet another national championship, Duke was right where it had worked all season to be.What happened next was unforgettable, history of the most painful kind.Up 14 with 8 1/2 minutes left, the Blue Devils improbably faded down the stretch, done in by Houston’s relentless fight to stay in a game that had frequently seemed on the verge of getting away.There were missed shots and miscues.

An inability to get stops.And even their reliable star — Associated Press national player of the year Cooper Flagg — couldn’t save the Blue Devils on a contested late shot when they suddenly faced a late deficit.By the final horn, the Cougars had scored the game’s last nine points in the last 33 seconds for a 70-67 victory Saturday night in the second semifinal.“It’s heartbreaking, it’s incredibly disappointing,” third-year coach Jon Scheyer said.

“There’s a lot of pain that comes with this.That’s what the tournament is all about.”It was as abrupt as it was shocking, the final horn triggering a sound that can only be described as jubilation crashing into disbelief running throughout the Alamodome.

The push for the Blue Devils’ sixth NCAA title was over, along with the first Final Four trip of Scheyer’s brief tenure in what was beginning to feel like a coronating moment after taking over for retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski.“It was an incredible season,” Flagg said, fighting back tears after a 27-point showing.“Incredible people, incredible relationships that I’m going to have for the rest of my life.

Didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but still an incredible year.”Duke (35-4) went from being in firm control all night to having a desperate final possession after LJ Cryer’s last two free throws with 3.7 seconds left, leaving the Blue Devils only Sion James’ full-court heave for a try at a tying 3 with no timeouts left.Bu...