Sports
Cooper Flagg, Duke searching for answers after fateful Final Four collapse
SAN ANTONIO — From their seats seven rows behind Duke’s bench, Ralph and Kelly Flagg had the perfect vantage point of the moment everything turned to dust.
With eight seconds left in Saturday’s national semifinal against No. 1 Houston, their son Cooper rose up for the turnaround jumper that legacies are made of. Sink it, and Duke’s in the national championship game for the first time in a decade. But miss it?
Everything, over. Immediately.
Which is why, as one of the best freshmen to play college basketball lifted off from just inside the left elbow, 68,252 sets of eyes inside the Alamodome — and millions more at home — tracked the path of a parabola that would decide Duke’s fate.
Clank.
Short, off the front iron. Houston rebound.
Ballgame.
Kelly, heart-shaped blue sunglasses atop her head, leaned her head onto Ralph’s shoulder to her right. A gentle thud, with the weight of a tank.
Three seconds later, Houston’s 70-67 stunner over Duke, one of the most catastrophic collapses in NCAA Tournament history, was complete. Cooper Flagg untucked his Blue Devils jersey and lifted his white undershirt up to his chin, grasping for something while everything else slipped out of his reach. His top-seeded Blue Devils led for nearly the entire game, including by nine points with 2:06 left. Even a six-point cushion with 34 seconds left was not enough for the top-ranked Blue Devils and their starting five full of future NBA studs to hold off the relentless Coogs.
While Houston’s comeback for the ages — the fifth-largest in Final Four history — will be told and retold for generations, so too will Duke’s complete disintegration. Over the past 18 months, Duke coach Jon Scheyer orchestrated this entire roster around Flagg and his national player of the year talents, surrounding the 18-year-old phenom with the ideal blend of fellow first-year stars and veteran role players. He hired a mental skills coach to teach his team emotional toughness, scheduled a vicious nonconference schedule to test the Blue Devils’ mettle, pushed every last one of his chips into the center for this player and this team — and then, poof.
The opportunity of a lifetime, evaporating via a 9-0 Houston run in the final 33 seconds of the Final Four. Scheyer, and Duke, will never shake the sting of what transpired on Saturday night in San Antonio.
“You’re an inch away from the national championship game,” Scheyer said after. “You go from some of the most special moments in the tournament to the most heartbreaking loss. … There’s a lot of pain that comes with this.”
Between this team and the 1999 iteration of the Blue Devils, neither of the two best squads in the history of KenPom’s 29-year database wound up winning it all.
Now, Duke still won the ACC regular-season and tournament titles and will hang an 18th Final Four banner in Cameron Indoor Stadium. But Monday night in San Antonio was the goal. How did this happen?
The play-by-play reads more graphic than some of Stephen King’s horror novels. The unraveling began with just over two minutes to play, after a Flagg 3-pointer and subsequent volleyball spike of a block gave Duke a nine-point lead and all the momentum. At that point, Kelly climbed onto her seat to see above the crowd around her, and started high-fiving anyone in arm’s reach. But then Houston guard Emanuel Sharp hit a contested layup, and on the other end, Tyrese Proctor had the ball poked away by Houston big JoJo Tugler. Sion James, Proctor’s backcourt mate, immediately walked over and told Proctor to “get over it” — but the avalanche, it turned out, was already underway.
The teams traded baskets thereafter, Flagg’s perfect free-throw shooting — he was eight-for-eight from the line — dueling against Sharp’s marksmanship. After Tugler earned an administrative technical foul with 1:14 to play, for slapping the ball out of James’ hands before the Duke guard inbounded it, Kon Knueppel sank a free throw that pushed the Blue Devils’ lead back to six. Cooper’s older brother, Hunter, gnawed at his nail once Knueppel’s shot fell good. And in the stands behind Duke’s bench, most everyone else — Kelly and Ralph; Scheyer’s wife, Marcelle; his parents, Jim and Laury; even Mike Krzyzewski, attending his first NCAA Tournament game since the loss that sent him into retirement, Duke’s last Final Four defeat in 2022 — did the same motion, over and over and over again: tilting their heads up at the small scoreboards underneath the Alamodome jumbotron, wishing time would speed up.
But if anything, it ground to a frame-by-frame halt.
Tugler blocking Knueppel’s layup attempt.
Another 3 from Sharp.
Three Houston defenders tipping and intercepting James’ ill-timed inbounds pass to Flagg, which turned into a Tugler follow-up dunk.
Proctor missing the front end of a one-and-one.
Flagg being called for a controversial over-the-back foul — his only one all game — on the ensuing rebound.
J’Wan Roberts sinking two free throws with 19.1 seconds left that, finally, pried the lead away from Duke and put Houston up one.
And finally, Flagg missing his would-be game-winner.
Everything that could possibly go wrong, all at once in a flood.
“A shot I’m willing to live with,” a teary-eyed Flagg said from a postgame dais. “Thought I got my feet set. Rose up. Left it short, obviously.”
Scheyer calling Flagg’s number with the game on the line was obviously no surprise. Not only is Flagg his clear top talent, but just look to the past. In each of Duke’s first three losses this season — against Kentucky, Kansas and Clemson — Scheyer pulled out the same end-of-game strategy: Give Flagg the rock, then get out of his way. So what if Flagg hadn’t delivered in those previous three instances? Your best player is your best player.
“Just be Cooper,” James said of Duke’s final play design. “We trust him, and that’s 100 times out of 100.”
In that final timeout, Scheyer looked his team in the eyes and delivered what would prove to be his final in-game message all season: “Right f—ing now, go take it. Are you ready?”
Fairly or not, Flagg’s miss will now forever be part of his legacy. Not one that outshines any of his astounding accomplishments, but also not something that can be ignored. His final college stat line of 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals speaks for itself. He became the first player since steals and blocks became a measured statistic in 1986 to lead or co-lead his team in every major statistic in a Final Four game. And there were ample other plays in that calamitous final two minutes that, if you reverse them, yield a different outcome entirely.
But Duke’s last chance to advance to the national championship game was quite literally in the teenager’s hands — and he came up about three inches short.
After Flagg trotted off the Alamodome court, while Houston danced on it behind him, the grief set in. Ralph hunched over, rubbing the nape of his neck. Kelly could only stare straight ahead, blank-faced, lips pursed. Slowly, one by one, the other Duke dignitaries and parents around them made their exits — but the Flaggs sat in the sadness. The arena PA system only twisted the knife, playing the American Authors song “Best Day of My Life”: This is gonna be the best day of my li-iiiife …
“It just don’t feel good, bruh,” said sophomore guard Caleb Foster. “That’s all I can tell you.”
At 11:12 p.m. local time, after a small army of reporters and camera people assembled the length of the black-carpeted hallway outside Duke’s locker room, Scheyer finally emerged from behind hulking metal doors. He posted up for two obligatory TV interviews just steps away from massive gold lettering affixed to the hall’s concrete walls: THE ROAD ENDS HERE. “We were this close,” he told CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson, holding his fingers up an inch apart. He took the blame, saying he hadn’t put his young players in the positions they needed to be down the stretch.
That’s part of it. But he wasn’t why Duke made one shot over the final 9:16, or why Houston outscored the Blue Devils 25-8 after they took a 14-point edge with 8:17 to play.
Inside Duke’s funereal locker room, players coped in their own ways. Proctor leaned backward with a towel on his head. He’d gone 0-for-9 in Duke’s season-ending Elite Eight loss a year ago, a pivotal reason why he stayed for this season. “I love these guys,” he choked out. “It just sucks that we came up short.”
Stanley Borden and Patrick Ngongba II come to grips with Duke’s season ending. (Lance King / Getty Images)
Walk-on Stanley Borden sat quietly, journaling in a small paper notebook with a purple mechanical pencil. Borden was a statistics peer tutor last semester, and Duke’s academic resource center gave him some thin brown notebooks. Ever since, he’s taken up journaling, his stream of consciousness writings providing clarity.
“There’s a thought when you have a loss like this, like, what was it all for?” Borden said. “Obviously, a lot of the sacrifices (we make are) to win a national championship — or at least go to the title game, because nothing’s guaranteed. So there was this kind of despair of, well then, what was it all for, if we’re not? And if we didn’t? Which, it’s still hard to believe.”
Even in a room five-deep with media members, the propane burners keeping Duke’s NCAA-provided barbecue trays warm at the back of the room could be heard. Players slowly migrated into the separate coach’s locker room.
Noticeably absent were Duke’s three star-studded freshman: Flagg and Knueppel — who combined for 43 of Duke’s 67 points, and who were elsewhere in the Alamodome conducting their final collegiate news conference — as well as 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach. He somehow finished with no rebounds in 21 minutes, the only game all season that the projected lottery pick didn’t gobble up a single board, another stunner on a night stockpiled with them.
By the time Flagg and Knueppel rolled up on a golf cart six minutes shy of midnight, most everyone had scattered. Towel around his neck, Flagg thanked his ride before disappearing into the locker room again, this time for good. What he said or did, we’ll never know. But at some point, he’ll again glance at the P.F. Chang’s fortune cookie message he’d slid inside the back of his clear phone case:
Many successes are coming your way
Undoubtedly.
Just not on Monday.
Not the one Flagg, and Duke, did everything in pursuit of.
(Photo of Cooper Flagg: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
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The WNBA season has been in session for about a week, so it is far too early to make assumptions about teams. That doesn’t mean we won’t make them; it’s just too early to really believe it. I lost my first WNBA bet this season, so I’m hoping to avenge that loss here as the Sky take on the Mercury.
The Chicago Sky are one of the most poorly run franchises in basketball. They have had some great names on their team and only one championship to show for it.
Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner shoots over Indiana Fever guard Aerial Powers in the first half at PHX Arena. (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
There really isn’t a clear indication of what is wrong with the franchise, but they’ve never been able to retain their talent. Aside from Kamilla Cardoso, I can’t name a player on this team that they’ve actually drafted. They just seem to get good players and then show them the door.
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Even though they’ve had questionable front office decisions, they seem to have put together a solid team for this season – something I didn’t expect before the season started.
They are 2-0, which is too early to really say they are a good team. I also want to reserve judgment until they face a team with a longer history than last year. The Portland Tempo played their first-ever game against the Sky, and Golden State was good last year, but still is in just their second season of existence.
The Phoenix Mercury are actually considered one of the best franchises in the league. I’m sure there are issues that people have reported, but for the most part, they have good facilities, and people want to play for their team. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season before falling to the Las Vegas Aces. This year, they are looking to restart that journey and see if they can win the last game of the year.
Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper dribbles the ball in the second half at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2025. (Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)
It will need to come with some better play than they’ve shown through three games this year. They are just 1-2 for the year with a 0-1 home record. The lone win was a blowout victory over the Aces (a clear revenge game if we’ve ever seen one). Then they lost the next two games against Golden State and Minnesota. Losing to the Lynx wouldn’t be a problem, but they didn’t have Napheesa Collier, who still has an ankle injury.
I expect the Mercury to make some adjustments for this game. They haven’t looked very crisp to begin the year, but they’ve been strong on offense, averaging 87 points per game.
The Sky are going to keep relying on their offense to do just enough and their defense to lock in. The Sky do have an edge on the interior, so they can get buckets fairly easily down low. I like the over 166.5 in this game.
Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins chases the ball during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Bob Kupbens/Imagn Images)
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I also think it is worth betting on Kahleah Copper to go over her point total. Copper had two rough games before she broke out in the last game. Now she has the same sight lines and can attack the bigs from the Sky with her athleticism. Since going to Phoenix, she has scored 29, 7, 16, 25 and 28 points in five games against them.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
Tom Harp has been coaching volleyball at Granada Hills High for so long that few remember he won a City Section championship as a co-head football coach with Darryl Stroh in 1987.
In the 1990s, he turned exclusively to coaching boys’ and girls’ volleyball, winning a combined 15 City titles and making 28 finals appearances. The top-seeded Highlanders will try to deliver a seventh Open Division championship on Saturday when they face West Valley League rival Chatsworth in a 4 p.m. final at Birmingham.
The league rivals split their two West Valley matches, with each going five games. Chatsworth knocked off 17-time champion Palisades in the semifinals. MIT-bound Grant Chang is Chatsworth’s 6-foot-6 powerful outside hitter.
All-City volleyball player RJ Francisco of Granada Hills shows off his hitting skills against Chatsworth.
(Craig Weston)
Granada Hills has RJ Francisco, who had 19 kills in a win over Chatsworth.
The Southern Section Division 1 final is Friday night, with Mira Costa taking on Loyola in a 7:30 p.m. match at Cerritos College.
Regional and state playoffs begin next week.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Cedric Alexander becomes new TNA X Division champion, crushing Leon Slater’s history-making attempt
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All eyes were on the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) X Division Championship on Thursday night as Leon Slater looked to retain the title over Cedric Alexander and solidify himself as the longest-reigning X Division champion in the company’s history.
Slater knew a legacy was on the line as he looked to break a record set by Austin Aries. But he needed to pin Alexander twice in one match to retain the title. It was a steep mountain to climb as Alexander had been just as dangerous since he entered the company.
The match started off hot with Slater and Alexander trading blows to begin the match. But a quick-thinking Slater rolled up Alexander quickly for the first fall.
Cedric Alexander in the ring during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 23, 2025. (Bradlee Rutledge/WWE)
Alexander was able to go on offense from there. He hit a nasty German suplex on the outside of the ring. He continued to work on Slater’s tweaked neck. He later hit a Lumbar Check to tie the match at 1-1.
Slater went deep into his bag. He hit an avalanche Styles Clash, which could have kept anyone else down. However, Alexander kicked out. Alexander was able to counter Slater’s high-flying abilities just for a moment and knocked him back out of the ring.
Alexander sent Slater into the steel steps, leaving him busted open. Alexander declared that he would be the “greatest” X Division champion. One brainbuster later, Alexander tried to pin Slater, but couldn’t get him down.
Alexander hit a Lumbar Check again, but Slater kicked out. Slater mustered up the last ounce of energy. A tilt-a-whirl slam set Alexander up for a swanton 450. Slater missed and Alexander hit another Lumbar Check, and then again.
Leon Slater enters the arena during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 6, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE)
Alexander pinned Slater for the win, completely shocking the fans in Sacramento, California. It will be the first reign for Alexander and his first title of any kind in TNA.
Alexander is a reminder, at least for TNA, that “The System always wins.”
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Fabian Aichner appears
Fabian Aichner, formerly known as Giovanni Vinci, makes his way to the ring during WWE SmackDown at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 20, 2024. (WWE/Getty Images)
Moments before TNA went off the air, the lights went out in the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. Emerging from the darkness was Fabian Aichner.
Aichner stared down Alexander and appeared to name himself the next challenger for the X Division Championship. Aichner, known as Giovanni Vinci for much of his run in WWE, hadn’t really been seen or heard from in months since his departure from WWE.
Aichner wrestled under his real name for a stint in WWE before he came back as Vinci in June 22. He was with WWE until 2025. He was a two-time NXT tag team champion and an Evolve champion before it became a WWE brand.
Eric Young earns future shot at TNA World Championship
Eric Young outlasted nine other men in an over-the-top battle royal and earned a shot at Mike Santana’s TNA World Championship to start the show.
The match came down to him and Elijah after the latter was able to toss members of The System out of the ring while also avoiding Frankie Kazarian trying to get back into the match following his own elimination.
Young and Elijah came to blows on the apron, knowing that as soon as their feet touch the ground, they would be eliminated. Young grabbed onto Elijah’s hair to try to hang onto the moment. Elijah broke away with Young’s back turned to him. Elijah, however, didn’t account for his wide stance.
The TNA original kicked Elijah in the groin and pushed him down to the ground. Young won the match and received a shot to win the TNA World Championship in the future.
He also made clear that Santana was next on his list of people to wipe out as he did to Joe Hendry, EC3 and Ricky Sosa in weeks past.
“Mike Santana, you’re gone next,” he declared.
Mike Santana learns his next opponent
Mike Santana stands in the ring during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 30, 2025. (Kevin Sabitus/WWE)
Mike Santana came out to address the crowd and praised Young for his efforts to help build TNA from the ground up.
“You better be coming with something different because while you may be someone who helped build this place, when it comes to the new era of TNA on AMC, I’m the guy. I’m the man. I’m the one who holds down the fort week after week as your TNA world champion.”
While Young might have earned a title shot, Daria Rae came out and revealed to the crowd that Steve Maclin was cleared to return to action following an injury at the hands of Santana.
Maclin will get a shot at Santana’s TNA World Championship next week on “Impact.”
Santino Marella also came out during the segment after he was “suspended.” He revealed that Indi Harwell re-signed with TNA.
Lei Ying Lee, Xia Brookside rivalry heats up
Xia Brookside attends the “Freelance” screening at Regal Waterford Lakes in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 24, 2023. (Jose Devillegas/Getty Images)
Lei Ying Lee brought the TNA Knockouts Championship back home last week with a win over Arianna Grace. She addressed the crowd before being interrupted by her former best friend, Xia Brookside.
In all black, Brookside claimed she was already in Lei’s head.
“You’re such a fraud. I’ve destroyed you mentally, I’ve destroyed you emotionally, I’ve destroyed you physically, and that title will be around my waist.”
Both competitors tossed expletives at each other before the segment was over. But Brookside made clear that she had her eyes on the title.
AJ Francis prevails over KC Navarro
A.J. Francis told Fox News Digital before the SacTown Street Fight on “Impact” that he was going to bring the pain to Navarro.
While wearing “Show Stealer” across his back, Francis did just that. Francis took some punishment from Navarro – a few shots from a baseball bat and a drop kick with a trash can.
Francis was able to turn the tide for a few moments, using the baseball bat to his advantage. But Navarro dug deep. He aligned six chairs in the ring, hoping to splash Francis through it. Instead, Francis countered and attempted an avalanche Down Payment. Somehow, Navarro countered with a cutter as both men crashed through the sea of chairs.
It looked like it could’ve been it. Navarro went for the pin, but only got a two count.
Francis turned on the heat from there. He got ahold of Navarro and hit a Down Payment through tables lined up on the outside of the ring.
He rolled Navarro back into the ring and picked up the pinfall victory.
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“Impact” match results
- Eric Young wins the 10-man battle royal to earn a shot at the TNA World Championship.
- A.J. Francis def. KC Navarro in a SacTown Street Fight.
- Rosemary and Allie def. Veronica Crawford and Mila Moore
- Cedric Alexander def. Leon Slater to win the X Division Championship.
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