San Antonio, TX — The nickname “Phi Slama Jama” belongs to Houston’s past, but this current Cougars team might have earned a new title: The Comeback Kids.
Or maybe soon — National Champions.
Houston’s suffocating defense erased a 14-point deficit in the final eight minutes Saturday night, silencing Duke’s title hopes and powering the Cougars to a gritty 70-67 victory that sends them to the national championship game for the first time in four decades.
Anchored by Joseph Tugler’s four blocks and a defense that felt like it had extra arms and legs everywhere, Houston completely shut down Duke in the closing stretch. The Blue Devils managed just one field goal over the last 10 and a half minutes — their second-worst scoring output of the season.
Duke’s final two possessions summed up their frustration: Cooper Flagg’s fadeaway jumper in the paint was smothered by J’Wan Roberts, and Tyrese Proctor’s last-second prayer missed everything, sealing a wild win for Houston.
“We just kept believing,” said L.J. Cryer, who led the Cougars with 26 points and knows a thing or two about championships after winning one with Baylor in 2021.
This is Houston’s first appearance in the title game since 1984 — the final chapter of the famous Phi Slama Jama era led by legends like Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon, who was in the Alamodome crowd to watch this comeback masterpiece.
One thing hasn’t changed since then: Defense still wins championships.
Houston entered the night as the nation’s best defensive team, and even against a star-studded Duke lineup featuring Flagg, Kon Knueppel (16 points), and multiple future NBA players, the Cougars made life miserable down the stretch.
“Credit to them — that’s what they do,” Flagg said afterward. “We could’ve executed better, but they made it tough on us.”
Roberts gave Houston its first lead since early in the game by calmly knocking down two free throws with 19.6 seconds left. Cryer added two more after a Duke miss to stretch the lead to three — their largest of the night.
The Cougars (35-4), still chasing their first-ever national title, now face Florida on Monday night for the championship. Florida earned its spot with a 79-73 win over Auburn earlier in the day.
While that game was a fast-paced shootout, Houston and Duke battled in a slugfest that looked more suited for an outdoor court with chain nets. Neither team shot better than 40% from the field — exactly the gritty style Houston thrives in.
Trailing 64-55 with just over three minutes left, Houston needed something special — and delivered.
True to their identity, they strung together multiple “kill stops” — their term for getting three defensive stops in a row — allowing only three free throws from Duke in the final three minutes.
Even a technical foul on Tugler for swatting the ball away during an inbound play couldn’t derail them. After the tech, Tugler blocked Knueppel’s shot, and Emanuel Sharp (16 points) drained a three to cut the lead to three.
Moments later, Mylik Wilson stole the inbound pass and though his tying three missed, Tugler tipped in the rebound to pull Houston within one.
Proctor missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw, setting up Roberts’ clutch free throws that gave Houston the lead for good.
Duke’s walk off the court was slow and stunned, their season over, while Houston fans waved goodbye to Flagg — likely the NBA Draft’s future No. 1 pick.
Houston held Duke to 37.5% shooting in the second half — nearly 20% worse than their tournament average — adding to their already fearsome reputation after dismantling Alabama’s top-ranked offense in the Elite Eight.
“We held that team to 67 points,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said, shaking his head in admiration of his squad.
Houston finished with six steals, six blocks, and countless altered shots, evoking memories of Olajuwon-era dominance.
But statistics can’t measure the grit Houston showed when Flagg appeared ready to bury them.
“There was no way we were going to let one player beat us,” Sampson said. “Even down 14, all I kept telling them was, ‘Hang in there.’”
Bonus Win for Artificial Intelligence
The game didn’t just swing the fate of the Cougars — it won a $1 million bet for AI.
An artificial intelligence program designed by entrepreneur Alan Levy outperformed a professional gambler’s March Madness bracket, with the Duke-Houston result sealing the contest.
Even if Houston loses in the title game, Levy’s AI bracket has already accumulated enough points to win the bet — proving that human heart and machine learning both had their night of triumph.
