How social media reacted to Duke’s loss against Houston in Final Four

There’s few things in life that create more happiness for North Carolina Tar Heels fans that big victories, particularly when they occur in the postseason on the basketball court.

UNC is no longer in the NCAA Tournament field – and watched while Duke made a run to the Final Four. The Blue Devils looked like a clear favorite to cut down the nets, led by AP Player of the Year Cooper Flagg.

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North Carolina players, alumni and fans alike had something to celebrate late Saturday night into Sunday morning, though.

After the Blue Devils led Houston by six points with 35 seconds left, the Cougars road back and advanced to Monday’s National Championship with a 70-67 victory.

If you watched this entire game like I did, Duke (35-4, 19-1 ACC) dominated for most of it. Houston (35-4, 19-1 Big 12), which plays at a slower, half-court pace on offense, couldn’t keep up with the Blue Devils. The Cougars kept missing layups and other high-percentage shots.

As Houston did all year, though, its defense stepped up and prevented Duke from running away with the Final Four matchup. The Cougars only allowed two Blue Devil field goals in the final 10:31, both on Cooper Flagg jumpers.

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Teams also can’t win if they can’t score, with the Cougars turning in a vintage finish Saturday. Emanuel Sharp drained a 3-pointer with 33 seconds, closing Houston’s gap to 67-64. Joseph Tugler dunked home a missed 3-point attempt from Mylik Wilson, followed by J’Wan Roberts giving the Cougars a 68-67 lead they never relinquished, on a pair of free throws.

As we mentioned before, the Tar Heels making the National Championship would be so much sweeter. But, at least for one weekend, we can revel in another signature Duke NCAA Tournament collapse.

Just take a look at social media reactions to the Blue Devils’ collapse, which even us at Tar Heels Wire didn’t expect.

Karma rears its ugly head