Best Final Four ... ever?! Breaking down Houston's, Florida's epic comebacks

The men's Final Four featured 2 second-half comebacks by the Houston Cougars and Florida Gators connected Saturday.

What happened to Duke? What was astir awesome astir Houston? And wherever does this brace of stunners beryllium successful the past books?

Our assemblage hoops analysts reply the pressing questions aft a thrilling nighttime astatine the Alamodome successful San Antonio.

play

0:49

Duke, Cooper Flagg autumn to Houston successful chaotic ending

Houston takes down Duke aft a chaotic ending involving a missed Cooper Flagg jumper and foul, with Tyrese Proctor coming up abbreviated connected a last-second heave.

What successful the satellite happened to Duke's discourtesy successful the last 10 minutes?

Well, the astir businesslike discourtesy successful astir 30 years made lone 1 tract extremity successful the last 10:30 -- but a fewer things caused it.

One: Houston's defence is inactive elite. Even erstwhile Duke was winning, the Blue Devils were not peculiarly businesslike connected offense. They had 2 tract extremity droughts of much than 4 minutes successful the archetypal half, and extracurricular of an occasional burst from Kon Knueppel successful the archetypal fractional oregon Sion James successful the second, the lone accordant root of discourtesy was Cooper Flagg.

Houston caput manager Kelvin Sampson said aft the crippled the Cougars weren't going to fto Flagg bushed them. Houston was its accustomed carnal self, and the Cougars' full-court property successful the last minutes created implicit chaos for Duke.

It was a operation of a stunning violative illness and Houston's hopeless defense. -- Jeff Borzello

play

1:43

Did Cooper Flagg marque the close play with his last shot?

Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg critique Duke's shocking 70-67 nonaccomplishment and recognition Houston's unbelievable resiliency.

What was the astir awesome portion of Houston's comeback?

Houston's violative accumulation successful the last minutes was the astir awesome portion of the team's comeback. Yes, a squad with the No.1 defence successful America turned a squad with the astir businesslike discourtesy successful the past of KenPom's database (since 1996-97) into a radical that couldn't marque a changeable late.

The Blue Devils made lone 1 tract extremity successful the last 10 minutes, 31 seconds. But to get the win, the Cougars besides had to nutrient a miraculous violative display. With 8:17 to go, Houston had conscionable 45 points but finished with 70 aft outscoring Duke 25-8 the remainder of the way. With 1:26 to play, the Cougars were inactive down by 7 points. Although its defence created those scoring opportunities, Sampson's squad (74th successful scoring nationally) had to deed a flurry of shots to prevail. That was the astir awesome constituent of the rally. -- Myron Medcalf

play

0:16

Joseph Tugler's dunk brings Houston wrong 1

Houston comes up with a large bargain and Joseph Tugler throws it down to bring the Cougars wrong a constituent of Duke.

What impressed you astir successful Saturday's games?

Houston's comeback was extraordinary, 1 of the 5 biggest successful Final Four history. But springiness maine Walter Clayton Jr. 's show against Auburn. The Florida defender has been the Kemba Walker and Shabazz Napier of this NCAA tournament, and he's doing it successful jaw-dropping fashion, making contested changeable aft contested shot. Bruce Pearl threw everything astatine Clayton connected Saturday, including switching large wings Miles Kelly and Chad Baker-Mazara connected him. They tried to blitz Clayton disconnected of shot screens truthful helium couldn't get a cleanable look going to his left, wherever helium is truthful lethal. None of it mattered.

I'm not adjacent convinced helium tin spot the full handbasket connected immoderate of these shots, the defence has been truthful bully astatine times. But he's been the astir electrical subordinate successful the NCAA tournament, he's the champion defender successful assemblage hoops and present he's making history, too. -- Borzello

It has to beryllium Houston's poise. Clayton's 34-point effort against Auburn would person been the astir awesome infinitesimal successful astir Final Fours. But Houston was bonzer successful the mode it did not succumb to unit contempt being down by treble digits connected the sport's biggest signifier successful the last minutes. And the Cougars weren't playing immoderate also-ran -- they were playing a Duke squad that had been the favourite to triumph the nationalist rubric for weeks, a radical led by conscionable the 4th freshman to ever triumph the Wooden Award. Yet, the Cougars ne'er fell apart. Their hostile did.

It's uncommon for thing to hap successful the Final Four that feels similar it's happening for the archetypal time. But Duke's illness and Houston's comeback were some unprecedented. -- Medcalf

play

0:16

Alijah Martin soars for a thunderous Florida dunk

Alijah Martin gets the bargain and flies for a breakaway dunk for Florida vs. Auburn.

This was the champion acceptable of semifinal games since...

This is the champion brace of semifinal games since 2019, erstwhile Texas Tech bushed Michigan State and Virginia bushed Auburn. The second crippled ended connected a precocious foul by Auburn and game-winning escaped throws by Virginia, a series that came aft a no-call connected a treble dribble by Virginia's Ty Jerome.

Michigan State had defeated a Duke squad that featured Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett successful the Elite Eight. Although the Spartans mislaid to the Red Raiders by 10 that night, Aaron Henry's layup had chopped Michigan State's shortage to 1 with 2:55 to play. Still, Saturday's games were 2 of the top successful Final Four history. -- Medcalf

play

2:50

SEC Now previews the Florida vs. Houston nationalist championship

SEC Now's Dari Nowkhah, Daymeon Fishback and Ron Slay instrumentality the archetypal look astatine the matchup betwixt the Gators and Cougars pursuing 2 astonishing Final Four battles.

What are you astir excited astir successful Monday's rubric game?

Clayton vs. Houston's defense. I conscionable waxed poetically astir however bully Clayton has been each play and each NCAA tournament, however he's connected an historical tally to the rubric crippled -- the archetypal subordinate with back-to-back 30-point games successful the Elite Eight and nationalist semifinals since Larry Bird successful 1979. He's seen everything thrown astatine him and it hasn't made a difference. But helium hasn't seen Houston's defense. And a Sampson defence is simply a antithetic happening altogether. Can helium woody with the Cougars' physicality? Can helium inactive make accordant looks? On the different side, it volition beryllium absorbing to spot if Houston offers immoderate wrinkles to dilatory down the first-team All-American.

As bully arsenic the Cougars' defence is, Houston volition fto teams sprout 3-pointers. And that's not a bully thought against Clayton. -- Borzello

I'm astir excited to spot however 2 of assemblage basketball's champion storylines end. Clayton was an under-recruited imaginable from Florida that Rick Pitino recovered and signed erstwhile helium was astatine Iona. Clayton evolved into an All-American astatine Florida, and if helium has different bonzer effort connected Monday, helium volition go 1 of the NCAA tournament's all-time heroes. But Sampson, who volition crook 70 years aged aboriginal this year, is 1 of the game's apical coaching veterans. And the lone happening missing from his résumé is simply a nationalist title. He is already a Basketball Hall of Fame candidate, but a nationalist title volition enactment him successful a antithetic class among his peers. -- Medcalf