Inside Wild Night Final Four Comebacks: Break Florida, Houston wins

Final Four of men introduced two second half of comeback from Houston Cougars and Florida Gators.

What happened to Duke? What was the most impressive of Houston? And where does this pair of stunners belong to historical books?

Our university basketball analysts answer urgent questions on an exciting night in San Antonio.

What happened in the world with Duke’s attack in the last 10 minutes?

The most effective offense in almost 30 years has created only one goal in the last 10:30 – but a few things have done it.

One, Houston’s defense is still elite. Although Duke won, Blue Devils were still not particularly effective at the offensive end of the floor. In the first half they had two goal drought for more than four minutes and outside the occasional explosion Kon Knuepel in the first half or Sion James In the second was the only consistent source of offense Cooper Flagg.

Houston’s head coach Kelvin Sampson said after the game that Cougars wouldn’t let Flagg beat them alone. Houston was his usual physical self, and Cougar’s full -fledged press in the last minutes created an absolute chaos for the Dukes.

It was a combination of stunning offensive collapse and desperate defense of Houston. – Jeff Borzello

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What was the most impressive part of Houston’s return?

Houston’s offensive production in the last minutes was the most impressive part of her return. Yes, the team with defense No. 1 in America has changed the team with the most effective offense in the history of Kenpoma database (since 1996-97) to a group that could not shoot late.

Blue Devils have created only one goal in the last 10 minutes, 31 seconds of the game. But to win victory, Cougars also had to create a miraculous offensive display. With 8:17, Houston had only 45 points, but ended 70 points after the rest of the Outscoring of the Duke 25-8. With 1:26, Cougars were still seven points. Although their defense created these opportunities for scoring, the Sampson team (74. In scoring at the national level) had to intervene the creation of shots to win victory. This was the most impressive element of this return. – Myron Medcalf

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What impressed you most in Saturday games?

Houston’s comeback was extraordinary, one of the five largest in the last four history to overcome deficits. But give me Walter Clayton jr. Performance against Auburn. The Florida Guard was the Kemba Walker of this NCAA tournament, Shabazz Napier, and does it in the jaw that drops, and after attacking the shot makes a questioned shot. Bruce Pearl threw everything on Clayton on Saturday, including switching large wings Miles Kelly and Chad Baker-Mazar to him. They tried to fade to Clayton from the ball screens so that it could not get a clean look that went to the left, where it is so fatal. None of this happened.

I am not even convinced that some of these shots see the whole basket, the defense was sometimes so good. But he was the most electric player at the NCAA tournament, he is the best guard at university basketball, and now he is also doing history. – Borzello

It must be Houston’s Poise. Walter’s 34-point efforts against Auburn would be the most impressive moment in most of the last four. Houston, however, was extraordinary in the way he did not succumb to pressure, although he was in the last minutes at the biggest phase of sport on the largest digit. And Cougars also did not play any run-Duke team, which was popular to win the national title Weeks, a group led by only a fourth newcomer who has ever won the Wooden Award. Yet Cougars never fell apart. Their opponent does.

It is rare that something happens in the Final Four that feels as if it happened for the first time. But Duke’s collapse and Houston’s comeback were unprecedented. – Medcalf

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That was the best set of semifinal games from …

This is the best pair of semifinals since 2019, when Texas Tech defeated Michigan State and Virginia Beat Auburn. The second game ended with the late foul Auburn and playing from playing Virginia, a sequence that came after not calling for double driblibling Virginia’s Ty Jerome.

Michigan State was defeated by the Duke team, which represented Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett in Eight. Although the Spartans lost to Red Raiders by 10 at night, Aaron Henry’s layout reduced Michigan State deficit to one with 2:55. Yet this Saturday’s games were two of the largest in the last four history. – Medcalf

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What are you most excited about in Monday’s title game?

Walter Clayton jr. vs. Houston defense. I just poetically waxed about how good Clayton was all season and all the NCAA tournament, as is on the historic play on the title-elementary player with 30-point games in elite eight and national semifinals by Larry Bird in 1979. And the defense of Kelvin Sampson is a completely different thing. Can he deal with Cougars’s physicality? Can it still generate a consistent look? On the other hand, it will be interesting to find out whether Houston offers some wrinkles that will slow down All-American First-Team.

Just as the Cougar’s defense is to let the teams shoot 3-pointer. And that’s not a good idea against Clayton. – Borzello

I am very excited to see how the two of the best events at university basketball will end. Walter Clayton Jr. He was a insufficiently recredible prospect of Florida, which Rick Pitino found and signed when he was in Iona. Clayton has evolved into all-American in Florida and if he has another extraordinary effort on Monday, he will become one of the heroes of the NCAA tournament. But Kelvin Sampson, who will be 70 years old at the end of this year, is one of the best coaching veterans of the game. And the only thing that is missing from his resume is the national title. He is already a candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame, but the National Championship would put him in another category among his peers. – Medcalf