Many fans thought the Houston Cougars were finished when Duke expanded its lead to 14 with just over eight minutes remaining Saturday night.
If you turned off your TV in the late going, you missed a comeback for the ages. Houston rallied, ran off a 9-0 run in the final 35 seconds and stunned the Blue Devils, 70-67, to advance to Monday night’s championship game against Florida.
The furious finish kept CBS announcers Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill busy, and the final 3.7 seconds were especially crazy.
“Houston leads by two, Duke has no timeouts remaining,” Eagle said, right before Houston’s L.J. Cryer knocked down his second free throw.
“So poised,” Raftery said.
Then came Duke’s inbounds pass, hoping for a game-tying three-pointer. (Hill absolutely had to be recalling when he threw the long strike to Duke teammate Christian Laettner in that miracle finish against Kentucky in 1992.)
“Long one … James, knocked away! Knueppel … back outside, Proctor tosses it up, it’s no good!” Eagle called.
“The dream remains alive for the Houston Cougars!” Eagle continued. “A furious comeback to knock off Duke and advance to the national championship game!
“Incredibly rally … it’s over in San Antonio and the national championship is set.”
“THE DREAM REMAINS ALIVE FOR THE HOUSTON COUGARS! A FURIOUS COMEBACK TO KNOCK OFF DUKE AND ADVANCE TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!” – Ian Eagle
“One of the most impressive comebacks I’ve ever seen.” – Grant Hill
“March Sadness for Duke and their fanbase.” – Ian Eagle 🏀🎙️ pic.twitter.com/8F2lm4Cs0A
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 6, 2025
“One of the most impressive comebacks I’ve ever seen,” Hill said.
“Incredible,” Raftery agreed. “What hurt the most was their inability against the press to do any damage. Get it in, get it up the floor, get a good look.”
“March Sadness for Duke and their fanbase,” Eagle concluded.
Nice job by Eagle, Raftery and Hill down the stretch calling a finish that will live on in NCAA Tournament history.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.